Cebu Pacific, a local airline company in the Philippines, went trending all over Facebook last March 15. This was after a concerned Facebook user identified as Richell De Guzman posted a photo that alarmed thousands of the social media platform users all over the world.
The incident transpired on the night of March 15 where two passengers were supposed to fly to Vietnam. The mother identified to be Regin De Guzman Palileo and her 12 year old son was supposed to flew to Vietnam for a heart surgery. However, a ground personnel identified to be Mark Rotanel did not allow them to board the aircraft as the boy’s passport were slightly damaged. After the mother negotiated to let them board flight 5J-751as she said the passport was not defected, the Cebu Pacific manager began shouting and ordering them to step aside. This caught the attention of the people who were there during the incident and later on went viral on Facebook.
Netizens addressed the airline company as “heartless”, reported the Inquirer.
Meanwhile, in a response to the viral photo and story of the incident, Cebu Pacific was quick to post their side on their official Facebook page which read:
"CEB Advisory - Mar 17, 2014, 12am
To those inquiring about JR Pajaro's post, CEB's Guest Services team has already contacted the affected passengers this morning and provided all necessary assistance so they could push through with their flight. We have also contacted Vietnam immigration authorities and arranged for the rebooking of the passengers. We pray for her son's successful operation.
We are looking into what happened and will follow due process. At the same time, we will be in touch with the affected passengers to ensure that their concerns are properly addressed. We sincerely regret the inconvenience this has caused them."
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