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Subject: PAL UNIONS COMPLAINTS
Newscast:TWTONITE - Air Date: 11/01/96

PAL's labor problems seem to be piling up. Collective bargaining negotiations with pilots and flight attendants have also been deadlocked and they may soon boil over.

The dispute between management and PAL employees erupted October last year when management sat on PALEA's proposed collective bargaining agreement. Management says, the 3.2 billion peso package is too much something the bleeding airline could not afford another CBA that of the Association of PAL pilots has been pending for almost 2-years now, while that of the flight attendants has not moved in four. In addition, employees fear for their security of tenure. They say PAL has slowly been privatizing its various divisions, which may lead to the lay-off of many workers but management says the fear is unfounded.

Management says the only way to solve the problem is through increased productivity. Flight attendants' salaries for instance may double as long as productivity is increased through more flying time. As for their worst fear Aquino says Lucio tan is not anti-union.

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Subject: PAL's DETERIORATION
Newscast:TWTONITE - Air Date: 11/01/96

Privatizing the Philippines Airlines was supposed to solve its financial problems. But the way it stands now it might take years for PAL to start flying high again.

The country's flag carrier has been financially bleeding for years. In the last 2-years alone, losses amounted to 3.9 billion pesos. PAL expects to lose an additional 1-billion this year. PAL was privatized with the hope of turning its finances around. The Lucio Tan group took over in January 1995 and currently has majority control in PAL. The take-over came with several conditions including the infusion of 5-billion pesos by the Lucio Tan group through pre-emptive rights offering and the waiver of government's and the GFI's equity rights in favor of Tan's camp. PAL's Executive Vice-President says the losses resulted from years of neglect. There used to be no control in costs and several infrastructures had to be raised to industry standards.

It may have monopolized the industry for a long time but the airline was never able to control air fares much less, fuel prices. Now, PAL is struggling to convert its losses into profit. It has embarked on an ambitious 5-billion peso refleeting program where 36 new aircraft will gradually be brought in, in 2-years. Management also put in place several initiatives like tapping new and profitable marklets and improving on-time performance and safety. Aquino admits it will take another year before the company makes some semblance of profit. Despite mounting pressure PAL's belt remains tight.

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Subject: "MILITARIZATION" FOR APEC
Newscast:TWTONITE - Air Date: 11/01/96

As the strike at PAL drags on preparations for the APEC summit are approaching fever-pitch. Some critics say Subic is virtually becoming a garrison, because of the heavy security presence there for the APEC Summit.

They're leaving nothing to chance. This early SBMA swat teams are checking cars and asking questions. It's done at random right now but as the APEC summit draws near nothing and nobody will be exempt. For the SBMA the upcoming event is big enough to spend millions of pesos on new guns, radios, training, and a state of the art Subic wide monitoring system. But as for security visibility it remains at the gate, and occosionally, a roving security vehicle. Critics have a name for it, Subic militarization. But SBMA Chairman Richard Gordon laughs off these claims.

Gordon is refering to leftists who claim, the APEC preparations are curtailing human rights. Though reports of a curfew in Olongapo are true it's limited to children and has been for the past few years. But, getting a permit to rally, will not be easy. Inside the Subic Bay area everything appears to be normal. But the SBMA admits special units of the PNP and the military have been deployed around the area.

The so-called miracle of Subic is attributed to 4 years of hard work and volnteerism. And with APEC just around the corner, very few can blame the Gordons for doing all they can to prevent anything and anyone from ruining the miracle.

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Subject: COTABATO'S BACK IN BUSINESS, BUT
Newscast:TWTONITE - Air Date: 11/01/96

Cotabato City got moving again after businesses went on a 2-day general strike in protest over the spate of kidnappings there. The strike may be over but business leaders told the president they want results, and fast.

Since january this year. 30 people were kidnapped in Cotabato And more than a hundred million pesos in ransom was paid. Because the police and the military seemed helpless in stopping the bandits, businessmen in Cotobato City closed shop for 2 days hoping this would finally draw President Ramos' attention to their problem.

Tan-abing says all they want is for the president to send in more troops. But the military says going after the bandits who number about 200 will not be easy.

Shops and stores in Cotobato were open again today for business. The two-day shutdown should have been enough to dramatize their plight.

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Subject: NUR VS KIDNAP GANGS
Newscast:TWTONITE - Air Date: 11/01/96

The Moro National Liberation Front says it has tried but failed to appeal to bandit leaders to stop extortion and kidnapping activities in Cotobato City.

The MNLF is having difficulty, taking a more active role in keeping the peace, in Mindanao. Malacañang had hoped the problem in Cotabato City could be resolved through the power of persuasion. Perhaps the MNLF leaders who now run the ARMM Government can talk some sense into the former rebels who have turned to kidnapping. Executive Secretary Ruben Torres says it now seems the bandits want to embarass Misuari. But the MNLF disagrees. In any case the statement of Torres may be directed at making the MNLF assume a more active role in peacekeeping. After all this was one of the objectives of the peace agreement to give the MNLF the leeway in solving the problems of Mindanao. But the MNLF insists it's not a question of sincerity on their part to live up to their commitments.