In the continued observance of its 25th anniversary, Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ leading airline, has stepped up in a big way to assist the country’s overseas Filipino workers as well as to honor the athletes who have made the entire nation proud at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Due to the stringent travel restrictions brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the nation’s OFWs — often heralded as our modern-day heroes — have found themselves unable to return home on regular commercial flights. In response to the government’s call for assistance in repatriating workers in the Middle East, Cebu Pacific organized a special “Bayanihan” flight from Dubai to Manila on July 30, 2021, safely bringing home 339 stranded Filipinos.
The special commercial flight was staffed by fully vaccinated pilots and cabin crew. In command of the flight was Captain Mark Ramos, assisted by First Officer Carlo Erik Castañeda. A 10-person cabin crew headed by Ma. Felicidad Arquiza aided passengers during the flight.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to fly our kababayans home while tight restrictions are in place. We understand their need to get home to their loved ones safely amid the pandemic, that is why we have collaborated with stakeholders for this bayanihan flight,” said Alex Reyes, Chief Strategy Officer at Cebu Pacific.
The following day, July 31, CEB then flew home 400 Filipinos from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Embassy of Abu Dhabi, and the Philippine Consulate of Dubai, via Flight 5J 11.
Meanwhile, as Olympic fever swept the country thanks to the strongest showing from a Philippine contingent in decades, Cebu Pacific celebrated our athletes' achievements by awarding them free flights.
For the first time since the Los Angeles 1932 Games, the Philippines is bringing home multiple Olympic medals, a feat made even more significant by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz winning the country’s first-ever gold medal.
Honoring all 19 athletes who represented the country at the Tokyo Olympiad, Cebu Pacific has announced that “everyJuan” of them deserves to fly: Eireen Ando, Kurt Barbosa, Hidilyn Diaz, Margielyn Didal, Luke Gebbie, Kris Knott, Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Cris Nievarez, EJ Obiena, Carlo Paalam, Bianca Pagdanganan, Juvic Pagunsan, Nesthy Petecio, Remedy Rule, Yuka Saso, Jason Valdez, Kiyomi Watanabe, and Carlos Yulo.
“All our athletes have uplifted the country’s spirits amid this challenging time. We are grateful to them for going above and beyond, and we know they all have respective support teams behind them— this is why we want to have them and their loved ones enjoy free flights from us,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience at Cebu Pacific.
Each member of the Philippine delegation will receive 25 free flights, symbolic of the airline’s 25 years of enabling everyJuan to fly.
The awarded tickets may be used for any domestic and international short haul destination in the Cebu Pacific network. Each Philippine Olympian may choose to use these for themselves, or share them with their teammates, families or anyone else in their support system.
“We know it takes a village, and all those behind our athletes also poured their efforts into this. Each and every Juan of you deserves to fly,” added Iyog.
Cebu Pacific operates the widest domestic network in the Philippines, covering 31 destinations on top of its five international destinations. Its 74-strong fleet, one of the youngest in the world, includes two dedicated ATR freighters and one A330 freighter. For more information on Cebu Pacific, visit cebupacificair.com
