Virtual committee hearing of the Public Services committee chaired by Senator Grace Poe on the resumption of public transport during COVID-19 crisis. May 11, 2020

• Recto on aviation losses and possible gov’t subsidy to avoid layoff of workers
• airline industry in the Philippines already suffered $5 billion losses due to COVID-19;
• any extension of the ECQ will further increase the losses;
• an estimated 500,000 jobs (regular airline employees and the interlinked travel and hotel industries) will be at stake;
• right now there is no large-scale layoff of employees as the airline carriers have continued to maintain the workforce, but a wage subsidy from Congress would help the airline industry sustain it;
• if government finally comes up with social distancing guidelines for airlines, anything below 70% capacity will not be economically viable