nn: Wreckage of Cebu Pacific plane sighted between Mt. Sumagaya and Mt. Lumut

[Phil. News Agency]

By Lynda B. Valencia

MANILA, Feb. 3 (PNA) -- Positive sighting of Cebu Pacific Air (CPA)
Flight 387 was confirmed between Mt. Sumagaya and Mt. Lumut, borderline
of Gingoog and Claveria.

This was disclosed by Diego S. Garrido, Jr., Cebu Pacific's
Senior Vice President and General Manager at a press conference held
today at the Manila Galleria Suite.

Garrido who was with Lance Y. Gokongwei, President and CEO, said
a report reaching their office in Manila has confirmed visual contact
with 15 survivors and 30 casualties, adding "the sight was seen by a
team of NGOs working for the Mayor of Claberia."

The aircraft's pilot was Capt. Paolo Maria C. Justo, and
co-pilot was F/O Erwin U. Golla. There were 99 passengers and five crews
(including pilot and co-pilot) aboard the aircraft.

The names of the survivors will be released as soon as they are
available, Garrido added.

Garrido said a medical team from Cagayan Medical Hospital has
already been sent to the site to assist the survivors while another team
from the Makati Medical Center is on stand-by here.

At the same time, the company has two aircraft on stand-by for
relatives of passengers who wish to go to Cagayan de Oro.

With regards to the settlement for the payment of the
casualties, Garrido explained that they have a formula to follow to
compensate the victims, like for example, life expectancy, nature of
business and the condition of their health during the time of the
incident.

As this developed, Transportation and Communications
Undersecretary Primitivo Cal said "this is a tragic incident following
the upgrading of Air Transportation Office (ATO) to category 1 and in
line with its modernization program. "We will look into this very
closely considering that safety is the number one priority of the
Department."

Flight 387, with ATO registry number RP-C1507, left Manila at
9:15 a.m. Monday for Cagayan de Oro via Tacloban. It was scheduled to
arrive Cagayan de Oro at 11:03 a.m.

Garrido said the aircraft made a planned technical stop at
Tacloban to deliver Cebu Pacific personnel and flight equipment for
aircraft with ATO registry number 1506. No passengers embarked or
disembarked to and from Tacloban.

The aircraft, RP-C 1507 was previously owned by Air Canada. It
was leased from Virgin Pacific. It was manufactured in Feb. 1997.

CPA is owned and oparated by Cebu Air, Inc. (CAI). On Aug. 30,
1991, CAI was granted a legislative franchise to establish, operate and
maintain air transport services for passenger, cargo and mail, among
others, for both domestic and international routes under Republic Act
No. 7151 for 40 years.

It was granted a Provisional Authority (PA) on Aug. 24, 1995 to
operate a domestic scheduled passenger and cargo air transport services
under CAB Resolution No. 37 (95).

CAI was initially capitalized at P100,000,000 divided into
1,00,00 shares at P100 per share par value out of which P25,000,000 has
been subscribed and paid-up.

The single biggest stockholder is JG Summit Holdings, Inc.
(JGS), one of the country's biggest and most diversified business
concerns in food, banking, real estate, hotels, textiles,
telecommunications, petrochemicals, cement and power generation, with 49
percent shareholdings.

Its chairman is Ricardo Romulo and John Gokongwei, Jr., Vice
Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Executive Committee.

CAI is currently utilizing a fleet of eight DC-9-32 Mc Donnel
Douglas Aircraft with an all-economy 110/115 seating capacity.

It inaugurated its first revenue flight on March 8, 1996 to Cebu
City. Today, it flies five times daily to Cebu, four times daily to
Davao, thrice daily to Cagayan de Oro, twice daily to Iloilo, Bacolod,
Tacloban and offer once daily to Kalibo and between Cebu and Davao
cities.

The CAB has given the go signal for the airline to service
regional (Asia) markets, namely, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore,
Thailand and Guam. (PNA) DCT/LBV/rsm

PNA 02031724

Todays Balita-L is sponsored by: The Ancestor's Pension House
Cebu's Finest (http://www.angelfire.com/biz/cebu/index.html)
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