March 8, 2011
MANILA, Philippines - Making good on his government's vow of austerity, President Aquino took a Cebu Pacific flight for his state visit to Indonesia on Monday, the first time that the country's head of state flew low cost.
The 8:55 p.m. Cebu Pacific flight 5J759 to Jakarta was the only one that fit into the President's schedule, his senior military adviser Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado earlier said.
From Jakarta, Aquino and his 53-man delegation will take a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight for another state visit to Singapore.
PAL had always played host to Philippine presidents, including Aquino's predecessor and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo.
Aquino has promised to keep expenses when traveling abroad at a minimum to allow more savings for the government, which is hard-pressed in trimming the budget deficit.
His state visits to Indonesia and Singapore, according to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., would cost P12.27 million. abs-cbnnews
Well done!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear that the president isn't spending much on state visits. This way, he's also promoting local airlines as safe for flying and affordable.
ReplyDelete