Senate to probe complaints vs. Cebu Pacific

THE Senate Committees on Tourism and Public Services will begin a joint probe on complaints against budget carrier Cebu Pacific on Wednesday, June 21.

The committees will look into "overbooking, offloading and booking glitches," in particular.

"Affected travelers and customers complained that Cebu Pacific has not provided immediate assistance or support regarding their concerns despite seeking help from the airline's customer service hotlines and in person help desk," said Senate Tourism Committee chairperson Sen. Nancy Binay.

"Being offloaded without alternative flight options or compensation not only has a direct impact on someone’s travel plans, but it also reflects how airlines treat customers and tourists,” Binay added.

She said the investigation will include whether authorities are strictly implementing the Air Passenger Bill of Rights.

Albay...

From A1 thousands of people have to be evacuated every time the volcano becomes restive. Lagman called on the affected residents to be open to the possibility of eventually resettling to a safer place so as to not cause inconvenience every time the Mayon Volcano’s activities intensify.

Nearly 18,000 residents have been displaced by Mayon Volcano's continuing unrest, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Thursday.

NDRRMC said in its latest report that the majority of the 17,941 displaced people are staying in different evacuation centers.

The number of people affected by Mayon's activities has risen to 37,682 but no injury or death has been reported to the authorities.

Families within the extended danger zone were moved to safer areas as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said there is still a chance for Mayon to have an explosive eruption.

In Phivolcs latest advisory, 306 rockfall events and two volcanic earthquakes were recorded from June 14 to June 15, while three pyroclastic density current events were also observed.

The volcano released 193 tons of sulfur dioxide on Wednesday as a fair crater glow and "very slow" effusion of lava from the volcano's summit were observed.

Plumes 700 meters tall were seen drifting in a northwestward direction.

Hazards such as rockfalls, landslides, avalanches, ballistic fragments, lava flows and lava fountaining, pyroclastic density currents, moderate-sized explosions, and lahar during heavy and prolonged rainfall may still occur.

While exhibiting a "quiet and gentle" eruption, Mayon Volcano may still have an explosive one, Phivolcs director Dr. Teresito Bacolcol said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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From A1

AI will not replace the person. What will replace the person is another person who knows how to use AI," he said in an ABSCBN report.

"That's why it's critical that we, by understanding how AI works, should learn how to leverage it, how to use it in order to empower our workforce and our people," the DICT chief said.

He also urged the government to regulate AI as the technology "lacks humanity."

While some will eventually lose jobs to AI-powered tools, some jobless Pinoys may eventually be employed thanks to the technology, so Uy said it is important to train "our own people, re-skill them, retool them so that they become adept at utilizing AI as a tool rather than being enslaved by AI."

Artificial intelligence is changing the way things are being done, the secretary said.

"This disruptive technology will have a significant effect on our labor force, on our workforce, and we need to build up our digital work force on how they will have to work with AI in the future and in order to secure our current status," Uy said.

"We have [security] templates that we follow during SONA and definitely we are prepared for this, depending on the intelligence reports that will come in, if there are adjustments to be done," he added.

Acorda said police will observe maximum tolerance in dealing with protesters.

He said the AI revolution "is progressing at a much faster, much bigger scale than anyone ever anticipated or dreamed of. AI is emotionless, it does not adhere to morality or ethics, it's pure logic and intelligence, and that is a cause of concern."

"Without proper regulation by government, it could become dangerous, it could become destructive as it evolves. And it's evolving very very fast," Uy added.