Pocket open skies bucked

MANILA, Philippines - A tourism industry leader has cautioned the government against rushing the implementation of pocket open skies, saying intensive consultations must first be conducted among affected stakeholders before deciding on the policy.

Consul General Robert Lim Joseph, chairman of the Tourism Educators and Movers Philippines (Team Philippines), said the government should call stakeholders in the aviation, travel and tourism industries to a series of dialogues to get their positions on the matter.

Joseph was reacting to a published report that quoted the Aquino administration as saying that it is studying the possibility of declaring a pocket open skies policy and that an executive order to that effect has already been drafted.

He said declaring pocket open skies would be a major policy decision which requires thorough study and discussions. “We cannot afford to trip on this move since it would affect a vital sector of the economy.”

Joseph warned that once a pocket open skies policy is declared and foreign airlines start flying into the country without restrictions on capacity and type of aircraft, it is hard to take this back, thus the need for utmost caution in considering the plan.