FALSE: Robredo diverted flights at NAIA in April

At a glance

• Claim: Vice President Leni Robredo caused flight diversions for Cebu Pacific Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in April 2022.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: No flight diversions were detected via Flightradar24. The Cebu Pacific Air vice president for flight operations has also clarified that the claims made by one of their pilots were baseless and purely speculative.
• Why we fact-checked this: The social media post with this claim has been deleted but screenshots are still being spread online by different accounts.

Complete details

A Facebook post by Cebu Pacific pilot Van Raňoa claimed that Vice President Leni Robredo caused flight diversions in order to get a “priority landing” at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in April 2022.

The post also claimed that flights for Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways were also diverted.

The claim is false.

Based on data from Flightradar24, there were no flight diversions recorded for Cebu Pacific Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways flights to Manila in April.

Cebu Pacific Air vice president for flight operations Captain Sam Avila addressed this claim with the pilot and it was revealed to them that there was “no basis for his claim and was purely speculative and careless on his part.”

“While the pilot posted his commentary on his own accord, a post he has since removed, on behalf of Cebu Pacific, and as Head of our Pilot Group, I take command responsibility and apologize unreservedly to the Vice President and the general public for the actions of our pilot,” he said in a statement.

The Cebu Pacific pilot is now undergoing a disciplinary review, in accordance with the company’s Code of Discipline and the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

We also have a robust Social Media Policy which has clear guidelines on how our employees should behave on social media because they are stewards of our brand and everything that we value as a company.

— Cebu Pacific Air (@CebuPacificAir) May 16, 2022

In a statement sent to media, Robredo’s office also categorically denied the claim. The statement read, “This never happened and is a malicious fabrication.” – John Sitchon/Rappler.com

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