LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Despite a one-month halt in local flights, Sky Pasada vowed to help Benguet farmers.
Airline spokesman, Richard Tiglao, said since “cost of transporting vegetables to Manila are so low compared to our cargo flights, we decided to focus on high grade crops and cut flowers.”
Tigalo said initial talks between vegetable traders have pushed management to give Benguet farmers a discounted cargo rate. “We even promised to find a market for their produce in Boracay and hotels in Manila as well.”
Jonathan Tercero, president of the Trading Post Bagsakan Association and Agusta Balanony of farmers.net met with Sky Pasada officials to talk about the air trade proposal.
Tiglao said the one month suspension of flights due to cabin improvements is a temporary setback in the deal with vegetable traders. “We will resume talks when we have flights again.”
Sky Pasada suspended flights for a month to upgrade the aircrafts as directed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
The firm’s aircrafts will be taken back to its Czechoslovakia plant for the needed upgrades and will take more than a month before they can be airborne again.
Earlier, Governor Nestor Fongwan was considering the air transport of special products via the new airline.
Fongwan said the hindrance for farmers in this new marketing avenue is the high cost of cargo loading.
Tiglao said the resumption of flights is definite. “We already invested in the Baguio Route and we have seen the potential.” (Ma. Elena Catajan)