Monday, May 7, 2012

Cebu Pacific, Lost Baggages and the Claudine-Tulfo Tiff



I have been reading some of the comments from netizens censuring Claudine Barretto for berating a Cebu Pacific ground crew after having lost a baggage on a flight from Kalibo. I am not fond of Barretto (read my previous reviews of her "In Your Eyes") myself. She isn't my favorite personality in any form, manner or persuasion. But people seem to forget the source of all these altercation. Cebu Pacific Air lost another baggage - and this has become a common incidence!

This has interested me because a year ago, my tita lost a baggage worth about P20,000 from her flight from the south to Manila. My tita, who's turning 70, is the epitome of decorum. She has always chosen diplomacy over anger even during the most exasperating times. In her wisdom, she believes that every problem could be remedied by sobriety.

LOSING A BAGGAGE

When she couldn't find the P20,000 baggage she lost, she informed the Cebu Pacific crew and she was initially told that Cebu Pac "will investigate". What's more important is that she was assured - yes, assured - that if the item isn't found, the company will pay for the worth (value) of the lost subject! I learned a couple of months ago (almost a year after the incident) that Cebu Pac called my tita to tell her that Cebu Pacific will indeed pay for for the "weight" of the lost item! If that's not the most incredulous offer, I don't know what is! the sadder thing is, my tita told them this was "unacceptable"! Nothing more! She's 70 - should she carry placards in front of Cebu Pac office to protest? What would you have told them otherwise? Since then, my tita has not heard from Cebu Pacific - and my tita decided it's a waste of time to even talk to these nincompoops! If you were my tita, would just let it go?

So if Cebu Pacific lost a diamond, they would only pay for its "weight" which is almost nil?

Cebu Pacific Air has been losing people's things and they shamelessly assert that they have limited responsibility for transporting their customer's baggage? What kind of dweebs are running this sad excuse of a company? Have you heard of their awards? Have you heard of the child with disability they refused to admit on board a flight back to the Philippines? When all of their flights keep getting delayed (yeah yeah yeah, we've all heard of the convenient "go-to" reason: tarmac traffic in Manila) and they keep losing their customer's stuff - yet they win AWARDS? What is this world coming to? It's like a world where Miss Universe winners are transexuals with chopped down penis, inflated mammoplasties, nose jobs, fake hairs, pumped up buttocks - all in the name of equality of sexual orientation! :)

REALM OF LUNACY

Cebu Pacific released their reason and labelled it as a company policy through a term called "baggage offloading". You mean they conveniently accepted a passenger's payment for their baggage check-in service (because these baggages won't get checked in if you don't buy a space for them or pay for them) only to leave them at the point of origin? That is a paid service NOT rendered! Whatever their reason is, since they were paid for and these items were entrusted to them, it is their responsibility to get them to their point of destination during an appointed time! If they hire a flying calesa to get them there is not  the flyer's concern! Where did they place my tita's lost baggage? Did they fly it to Mount Kiagot? In "Bandila" they interviewed a supposed travel specialist who advised "huwag kayong magalit... it happens to everyone"! Where did they get this idiotic travel specialist who makes it like it was normal to lose passenger baggages? What planet does she come from? My goodness, are we really in a realm of lunacy? Super Moon, maybe?

It is never normal to lose your passenger's baggage! NEVER!

Better yet, isn't Cebu Pacific liable to civil damages for their continued ignorance of responsibility to their customers and people who patronize their business?

What is the D.T. I. doing against this? Or is it similar to the case against popcorns and 3D movie tickets running on deaf ears (buy a 3D ticket and they sell you a popcorn even if you don't eat it) - simply because the new D.T.I. boss was once a business colleague of the Sy's in SM!

Such shameless people!



Now going back to Claudine, if you were in her shoes - and you lost your stuff, say your phone charger, those cosmetics bought by your sister from L.A., an LV bag, the peripherals of your iPod, that exquisite Mishima book "Forbidden Colors" which you're almost done reading, a dozen blouses, dresses and pants, your favorite sneakers, a pair of too-die-for stiletto shoes - would you just smile affably like those spitting dingbats from Beijing?

Ohmygoodness, I would raise hell! I would be "masamang ugali" as well! I entrusted my belongings to an airline and they manage to lose these very personal items? Claudine Barretto deserves answers regarding the whereabouts of her stuff - and if she doesn't get any, she has the right to raise hell! She deserves to shout "Bobo", "Gago", "Tarantado",  "Tanga" like , errr... the Tulfo brothers? Don't tell me you haven't heard the Tulfos graciously deliver these sophisticated rebuttal pieces like the true journalists that they are! Or do you live in a cave? Yet Ramon Tulfo doesn't seem so gracious when he hears a "mura" from Raymart. He should learn to take what he conveniently dishes out to others on a daily basis. Take it like a man, is what I say! Unless he is half of that! :)

Why was Tulfo all puffy? In fact, he might as well personify that "naupos na kandila" like my yaya said - cause he looked exactly like one after his fisticuffs! Isn't Tulfo a blackbelter in judo, aikido or some form of lethal martial arts? Was he holding back? LOL. I would have thought he could take on an army, the way he blasts people on air! He is so manly, I could personally smell testosterone dripping out of my boobtube every time his program is on! The action hero in Raymart Santiago finally confirms that he doesn't merely posture; he is in fact a real man of action. I am thus keeping an eye a la "Tutok Tulfo" for a future action project starring Raymart Santiago. This will be well deserved!


Cebu Pacific - Whhere your check-in luggage is not as important as your air fare payments! LOL

6 comments:

Mary Franz S said...

I think they should all act like your tita- after all is said and done, retaliation and threats won't help the situation. I reckon they should all be diplomats from now and try to resolve the issue... It's sad but it's simple karma- for every action there's an equal reaction... Mary-Franz - pure manilenia from the UK

Cathy Pena said...

@ Mary Franz:

It is sad really. I reckon diplomacy didn't get my tita anything too. When people rely on pure complacency, things don't get done anymore. So how is it that my tita's diplomatic action didn't get any reaction at all? :(

We are all beings of impulses and Claudine more than others probably. But I agree with you that Mr. Tulfo got a pinch of karma, a dose of his own medicine, and it's something that isn't too palatable.

Joe'S said...

My luggage lost and not yet found yesterday Cebu Pacific Flight 5J538 Singapore to Clark. I was told they will call me but i haven't receive any call from them. I made a call this afternoon around 4pm and they told me that they will call after plane from SNG-CRK arrive at 830pm today. I was not able to call them on time due to busy schedule, i was waiting for them. i tried to call back 10pm but guard said i got the wrong number 045 5997218. How irresponsible, no system, nakakapaginit talaga .. i was cool before bec they said they call me back, same case with claudine ksi, my kids medicines, all there clothes , most new coming from vacation more than 20kg. I want to be civilize with them but really laging palpak! nkaainis tlaga, i agree with Raymart Claudine actions. The root cause is the airline! sana may pagasa pa mkita bag ko and pano kung nawala, sabi mrs ko worth around 60K. help? :-(

Cathy Pena said...

@ Joe'S:

I am sorry to hear that. As I've written here, my tita lost a baggage that was not even hers, it was entrusted to her, i.e. "pinadala lang" at nawala pa. Nowhere in the world is an airline not liable to transport of baggage of their passengers. I think they will "eventually" contact you - in their own sweet time when it's convenient for them. And they will offer to pay for the weight of the cargo - which should be around P1,000 - nothing more.

I always tell people who are too harsh on Claudine, that it's a different matter when you personally encounter such loss. When is a natural emotion like anger not warranted? And I do hope they travel Cebu Pac AND lose a baggage so they know how it feels.

My tito said that you could always sue the airline because losing a baggage which you even paid to transport (it isn't a free service, after all) is a breach of contract. Unfortunately, it's a huge headache. I've prodded my tita to sue - but at her age of 70, where will that take her?

While I commend you for behaving "unlike Claudine", I do sincerely sympathize. I would be cross and I would misbehave - and would be proud to do so, f_ck the high and mighty people who believe it shouldn't be done. These ground crew - since they face the one who lost their stuff - should have a degree of answerability and not hide behind the cloak of "I'm just a minimum wage earner, thus I shouldn't be liable to anything - but I should nevertheless face the wrath of the customers." How very convenient for them.

Flying in Cebu Pacific is never a guarantee of security of cargo because they keep losing their customer's baggages. Shame on Cebu Pacific!

Unknown said...

My sister also lost her belongings through cebu pacific cargo which i sent last jan. 11, 2014. Funny thing is i sent a total of 3 boxes under 1 airway bill. 2 of which were small ones and the third was a national bookstore best buy balikbayan box. The 2 small boxes already got to their destination while the other one which was the biggest is 'lost'. How can this happen when all boxes were sent under 1 way bill and the most ironic part is the box which is the biggest is the one that is lost. I think the authorities should be aware of this. I scoured their depot at naia terminal 4 and cud not find it either. Another observation is that once you get to see the inside of their cargo bay, it is disorganized cargos are not tagged in their proper holding area.

Cathy Pena said...

Vincent:

It's sad that years after the Claudine-Tulfo debacle, and after my tita's loss of baggage, Cebu Pacific continues to fly without a SINGLE sanction. There are signs at the T3 terminal declaring the rights of the passenger that includes what the passenger deserves to get in case of loss YET nothing is being done. What the authorities keep doing is lip service. There are thieves in our terminals and the Cebu Pacific company seems to thrive on hiring them.