New PAL pilot corps vows to win back passenger trust

The Newsmaker
August 28 - September 3, 1998

After undergoing a cathartic upheaval during the last two months, the new pilot corps for Philippine Airlines now files with a renewed sense of purpose to serve the riding public first and foremost.
“We want to serve the public first and get the airline off the ground," says First Officer Miguel Rocha, a former striker who returned to PAL’s fold after a month on the picket line.
Rocha's attitude is indicative of the new culture prevailing at PAL's flight operations unit, which was at the center of the storm during the 22-day strike by the pilots' union last June.
"There is a very clear and tangible change in attitude around here," says Capt. Edilberto Medina, chief pilot of the Boeing 737 division. “The new pilot corps we have now is more disciplined, more dedicated to their jobs and highly professional."
PAL has steadily built up its flight deck crew after its ranks were decimated by the strike. The flag carrier now has 224 pilots (made up of 191 line pilots and 33 management pilots) in its coaster -- a large contraction from the 620 pilots in the line before the strike. Of the 191 line pilots, more than three-fourths are "returnees."
But if they once struck to bring PAL to its knees, the returnees are now the flag carrier's management pilots. “The past is past. It's time to move on. Right now, we want to do our part and help in PAL's recovery efforts," says Rocha, who files the airline's long- range workhorse, the Airbus A340.
"There's very evident willingness among the pilots to roll up their sleeves and get down to work," says Capt. Alejandro Campos, Jr., deputy chief pilot of the A340 division.
“Everybody is available at all times, unlike before when we had many cases of pilots calling in sick. We've never had a case of a pilot being medically grounded or experiencing    on-time performance (OTP) problems during the last two months," he added.@