CHED urged to probe academics using schools to push ‘open skies’

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) should look into the activities of some members of the academe who are key officials of an aviation lobby group to determine if they are using their position in schools to promote foreign interests in the country.

The call was made by the Save Our Skies (SOS) movement following admission by Freedom to Fly Coalition (FFC) president Mila Abad in the Senate that she and FFC officials receive financial support from the US-funded AGILE (Accelerating Growth, Investment and Liberalization with Equity) program.

FFC has also admitted in a press statement that it receives donations and grants from foreign sources, casting doubt on the impartiality of its (FFC’s) advocacy and lobbying activities.

Well-known academics who are senior officials of FFC are Victor Limlingan, a professor at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), and Ma. Cherrylyn Rodolfo, a professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific (UAP).

"What is the policy of CHED as well as these concerned colleges and universities regarding academics who lobby on behalf of foreign interests using their positions in school?" the SOS asked.

The SOS said Limlingan, who was slapped with graft charges by the Ombudsman when he was with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), and Rodolfo have advocated for open skies and promoted foreign airlines’ interests, at the expense of the local aviation industry.

The group recalled that Rodolfo has even come out with a series of articles promoting open skies and pushing for the resumption of the Philippines-United Arab Emirates air talks despite excess air seats on the route. The FFC has also openly pushed and supported the RP-Singapore and RP-Korea air agreements despite their being highly disadvantageous to the Philippines.

"We noticed that when Limlingan and Rodolfo talk about or write about open skies and other air issues, they use the names of their schools, giving the impression that their advocacies are also the positions of their schools," the SOS said.

The SOS said now that it was unmasked that the FFC to which Limlingan and Rodolfo belong is being supported by foreign funds, its (FFC’s) advocacy in the air transport industry becomes highly suspect.

"Do you think foreign donors will not expect any return for their donations or grants? Can they (FFC members) now be objective in their advocacy knowing that they are being funded by foreign funds? the SOS asked.