Travel, tour operators urge CAB official to quit

Travel and tour operators, and cargo forwarders have called for the immediate resignation of Alberto Lim from the board of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for conflict of interest after it was found out the group that he founded was working to advance foreign interests in the civil aviation industry.

"Out of delicadeza, Lim should resign from the CAB. His presence in the board has become untenable,’ Robert Lim Joseph, president of the Save Our Skies (SOS) movement, said. The SOS is made up of travel and tour operators, and cargo forwarders promoting the interests of the local aviation and tourism industries.

Earlier, Sen. Vicente Sotto III also called for Lim’s resignation from the CAB after questions were raised about his impartiality and loyalty.

Joseph said Lim belongs to the US-funded lobby group Freedom to Fly Coalition (FFC), whose links to AGILE (Accelerating Growth, Investment and Liberalization with Equity) was established during the Senate hearing on AGILE.

Besides being one of the founders of FFC, which has been funded by foreign funds to promote open skies in the country, Lim has been openly promoting open skies, which is not to the interest of the country, he said.

"How can you expect him (Lim) to be fair in discussing issues and making decisions at CAB when his beliefs are already made up and he belongs to a group that espouses open skies," Joseph said. "Once people doubt you, you should have the delicadeza to quit," he added.

Joseph said in other countries, people that work for other nations’ interest are called traitors.

He also asked which private sector group Lim represents. "Lim calls himself a private sector representative to the CAB. Which private sector group does he represent? Who put him there? What’s his background to be a private sector representative?"

He said how could Lim represent the concerns of the tour and travel operators and cargo forwarders, who are major stakeholders in the industry, when he does not come from these sectors.

Joseph also accused Lim and FFC members of peddling lies. "They have been peddling lies ever since against those who are opposed to their advocacy. They have this penchant for telling lies."

He clarified that he never said Lim was a member of AGILE.

"We have long exposed FFC and Lim for what they are. This was further confirmed during the Senate hearing on AGILE as well as by internal documents from AGILE," he said.

"Had AGILE’s role in influencing policy making not been brought into the open by the Senate, Lim and FFC would continue to have their way," Joseph said.