The Philippine Air Panel is a multi-sectoral panel made up of representatives from the Department of Tourism, Trade and Industry, Foreign Affairs, Transportation and the CAB as well as representatives from the different Philippine Carriers. It is this body that makes policy during air service negotiations between the Philippines and other countries. In relation thereto, PAL notes that what is needed from Government at this time is the provision for incentives to those Philippine corporations or businessmen who are willing to invest in Philippine aviation. The Omnibus Investments Code, the Build, Operate and Transfer Law and various other legislative enactments currently provide a relatively uniform package of incentives, both fiscal and non-monetary, to proponents of major infrastructure projects such as power plants and mass transit systems. It is recognized that the costs of putting up the same are prohibitive thus the Government attempts to provide as much support to the private sector as possible.
Aviation is crucial to the national economic survival of an archipelago nation.
All parties to this debate recognize that fact. Yet Government has done very little to actually make it attractive for Filipinos to invest in the development of the Philippine aviation industry. Thus, we strongly urge the Government and both houses of Congress in particular to seriously look into passing into law a set of incentives specifically tailored to encourage the growth and development of the Philippine aviation industry. The statement most probably comes from a misapprehension of the true nature of the current controversy between the Philippines and Taiwan. It is an unfair conclusion.