DOTr probes ‘panic’ on Cebu Pacific flight  

The Department of Transportation on Saturday said it is looking into the recent incident involving a flight of budget carrier Cebu Pacific, wherein several passengers were seen in "panic."

"Please be informed that the DOTr, through its Undersecretary for Aviation Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo, has already instructed the Civil Aeronautics Board to look into this and act accordingly," the the agency said in a statement.

It noted that its statement pertains to a video posted on Facebook showing passengers of Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 575 bound for Cebu in panic, while forcing airline personnel to let them deplane.

The video posted by Gin Durano on Facebook shows a woman who fainted, probably due to the heat inside the plane as the air-conditioning malfunctioned.

In the video, a voice can be heard asking Cebu Pacific personnel to open the windows. A female voice can also be heard requesting passengers to remain seated.

The video garnered 1,890,786 views as of this posting.

Another video shows passengers battling the heat by using their flight manuals as hand fan with an elderly woman overheard expressing her fear of dying. Later on, a female voice probably from a female flight attendant asking for a "doctor on board" or any medically qualified person to attend to an emergency.

"Babies are crying, old people are complaining and there's a woman got suffocated and now she has oxygen on because she can't breathe. We've been here for more than an hour inside the plane. Freaking damn hot! They didn't even do anything until the woman pass out. I Super Love You Cebu Pacific!" Durano described the situation in her post.

The post has been shared more than 17,000 times and garnered more than 5,000 reactions as of posting time.

The DOTr said that CAB Chief Legal Officer Wyrlou Samodio has directed Cebu Pacific to investigate the matter thoroughly and submit an incident report within one hour from notice.

"Should DOTr-CAB find out that Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 575 went beyond the prescribed two-hour period to deplane its passengers due to long tarmac delays, Cebu Pacific shall be held liable for the penalty prescribed under the regulation," the DOTr said.

"Further, if found to have violated the regulation, the pilot shall likewise be held liable as he has the obligation to order the deplaning. CAB shall endorse the case of the pilot to CAAP for appropriate action, since the latter exercises jurisdiction over airmen," it added.

The DOTr assured the public that it will objectively monitor the incident and shall update the public of any development.

In a separate statement, Cebu Pacific said that its flight 5J 575 bound to Cebu from Manila encountered a delay due to debris that had to be cleared from the runway late Friday.

"During that time, one passenger fainted, prompting emergency medical assistance," the airline said.

"Following reports from our crew that the cabin temperature was warm, Cebu Pacific decided to change the aircraft for the comfort of our passengers," the airline added.

Cebu Pacific pointed out that its cabin crew and ground personnel assisted all passengers and handled the transfer to the replacement aircraft.

"The flight departed Manila at about 7:32 p.m. and landed safely in Cebu at 8:52 p.m.," the airline said.

"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience these incidents may have caused and appeal for understanding," it added. —John Ted Cordero/LBG, GMA News