RP, US to hold air talks anew

The Philippines and the United States will hold negotiations in Manila today to try and settle a dispute on giving greater access to each other’s domestic airline market.

Washington wants Manila to give US carriers unlimited access to its domestic market but has refused to open its market to Philippine carriers.

The last air talks, which bogged down, were held in Washington in February.

Transport Undersecretary Edward Harun Pagunsan will lead the Philippine negotiating panel in the latest round of talks.

However, an activist questioned Pagunsan’s capacity to lead the panel, saying he was relatively new to the issues. Pagunsan replaced Undersecretary Arturo Valdez, the long-time head of the Philippine panel.

"Can you imagine him going to the negotiating table, not knowing anything? And he will be leading our panel," said activist Robert Lim Joseph, president of Save Our Skies.

He opposes the so-called "open skies policy" sought by the United States, saying it would hurt the Philippines’ aviation industry.

Pagunsan was not immediately available for comment. — Rainier Allan Ronda