PALEA calls on House ethics committee to act on complaint vs. Rep. Magsaysay

PRESS RELEASE
1 February 2011
PALEA

The Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) and PAL Customer Agent 3 and PALEA member Sarah Bonnin-Ocampo today called on the House of Representative Ethics Committee to find sufficiency in form and substance in the complaint against Alliance of Volunteer Educators (AVE) Party-List Representative Eulogio Magsaysay.

The Ethics Committee convenes 2:00 p.m. and among its agenda is the complaint filed by PALEA and Ocampo. If the House ethics committee finds the complaint sufficient in form and substance then hearings will be called on the merits of the case.

“We are determined in pushing through with our complaints. For the longest time, PAL employees and other frontline service workers, are victimized by abusive politicians and government officials. They need to learn their lesson—that workers, especially women, are human beings, too, who have rights and dignity to should be respected,” explained PALEA Women Committee Head Ginalyn Licayan.

PALEA also filed today a complaint on the same case at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). PALEA members including Ocampo met CHR head Etta Rosales just after 1:00 p.m.

Rosales promised to act on the complaint. After the meeting at CHR, the group proceeded to the Batasang Pambansa and visited the offices of the members of the committees on ethics and gender to help expedite the complaint.

Meanwhile in a labor-management meeting last January 27, PAL stated that it will look into proposals to protect its frontline service workers from indignities and harassment. PAL management also clarified in the meeting that the regrets letter sent to Magsaysay was pro forma. PALEA will submit to PAL its proposed manual to ensure protection of PAL employees from rude customers, including politicians and government officials.

Last January 17 PALEA and Ocampo filed a case against Magsaysay for serious misconduct, abuse of authority and conduct unbecoming of a high-ranking public official at the House Committees on Ethics and Privileges, and Women and Gender Equality.

On 17 December last year, while on duty, Magsaysay shouted “menopausal bitch” and “bitch” several times to Ocampo after being told that she does not have to the power to change seating arrangements in the business class as per request.