Philippine Airlines resumes operations a day after thousands of passengers were stranded after the flag carrier鈥檚 workers staged a paralyzing strike in a last-ditch effort to save their job. JESS YUSON/ INQUIRER PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile has asked the government to enforce the law and not be 鈥渟oft鈥� and 鈥渃haritable鈥� on employees of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) who staged a wildcat strike Tuesday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 up to the evaluators of the facts to determine whether there鈥檚 a probable cause. If there is, by all means, we will enforce the law,鈥� Enrile said on Thursday.
鈥淎lam mo sa mga ganitong bagay, we鈥檙e too proned to be so soft and charitable. We have to enforce the laws in order to have a well order society. It can鈥檛 be otherwise,鈥� he said.
Enrile stressed that nobody was immune and above the law.
The Senate leader did not also object when President Benigno Aquino III himself expressed the possible filing of economic sabotage against the PAL employees.
As the flag-carrier of the Philippines, PAL involvement in any case will have an impact on the image of the country, Enrile said.
鈥淣aturally,there are many people stranded here, people going out of the country not only Filipinos but foreigners. That created a very bad impression on the world,鈥� he said of the Tuesday protest by the employees.
鈥淢y God, mahirap na naman mabawi yung impression na yun sa kaisipan ng bayan,鈥� Enrile added.
Enrile still believes that the conflict between the PAL union and its management should be best addressed through the intervention by the Department of Labor and Employment.