Live in the Philippines

Live in the Philippines helps expats with visas, moving and other services regarding the Philippines.

Uh, what?

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As I am sure you realize, lately, I have started writing a bit of a series regarding tourism in the Philippines.  Because of this, I have been keeping a closer eye than normal when it comes to information about tourism when it appears on the news or other TV programs, in the newspaper, or wherever.  Because of that, last week, Feyma and I were watching the news on ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel), but we were also talking, with the news in the background.  Suddenly, a news story came on about Philippine Airlines (PAL), and I interrupted Feyma and told her I wanted to hear this story.

As the story got started, they were talking about the potential for a strike among PAL’s employees.  As I wrote some time back, there have been labor issues with PAL Pilots in recent months, but now it is the Flight Attendants who are threatening to go on strike.  There are a number of issues that the Flight Attendants are pushing PAL to negotiate with them.  Two of the most contentious issues are Gender Discrimination issues and Age Discrimination issues.  Currently, Flight Attendants are not offered paid maternity leave, which they are bargaining for.  The Age issue comes down to the fact that under current PAL policy, female flight attendants must retire by age 40.  Wow!  Image that, age 40 mandatory retirement?  That’s quite young to be forced to retire.  I admit, I like seeing the pretty flight attendants when I fly PAL, but I also don’t think that they should be forced into retirement at age 40.

When I saw the story on the news about the pending strike, one thing caught my ear, though!  Frankly, it shocked me.  We all know that wages in the Philippines are quite low, but I was surprised when I learned what a flight attendant makes.  My only source of this information is from what was said on ANC, though, but they said that PAL flight attendants are currently being paid P8,600 per month.  That is roughly about $200 per month in today’s US Dollar – Peso rate.  $200 per month?  Wow.  If this information which ANC clearly said (Feyma and I looked at each other and said “did you hear that?”), then I was way off, because I would have thought that a flight attendant would be making at least $1,000 per month here in the Philippines – about P40,000 to P45,000.

Anyway, the Government is threatening to step in and stop the strike, and force the parties to negotiate on this.  I don’t know how effective they can be, though.  I mean, if PAL doesn’t want to give in on these issues, can they be forced?  The Government does have some harsh repercussions for PAL, though, if they don’t settle the issue.  The Government is threatening to institute an Open Skies policy and allow foreign airlines to fly into routes that PAL holds.  That could be a killer for PAL, if it happens, because right now, for the most part, foreign airlines are not allowed to fly domestic routes at all.  Opening things up for competition could really hurt PAL badly… although, in my opinion it would be a boon for tourism in the Philippines, and for the flying public.

What do you think?  Will the strike happen?  Will the Government open the skies to foreign operators?  Will the Flight Attendants get what they want from PAL?  It is hard to know yet, but things should start unfolding over the next few weeks.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hi Bob…..$200 USA a month sounds like pretty cheap wages to me. But then what do I know about wages in the Phillipines. Also sounds pretty bad that person needs to retire at 40……sure they have a great retirement package, that goes something like this….Hello..we do not need you any more..have a nice life..I have heard that for a lot of Fillipinos after age 30 or 40 that hard to find job….no body want old person to work for them……30-40 old? I quess that puts most of us that share on this site…….very old! hahahah…..in one way,Maybe they should strike and let that company go broke..then in the other way, what happens to those that all ready have job….Opening things up for competition could as you said would be a boon for tourism in the Philippines and also make for more jobs in other areas, what kind of jobs I have no idea, or if they be good jobs..but for sure would make more jobs….maybe some day if it ever happens and a lot more jobs open up in the Philipines then maybe some day a greater share of Fillipinos can have a better standard of living…That would be nice…..but do not see that to happen in the near future……

    • Hi Dan – I know a fair amount about wages in the Philippines, and $200/month for a flight attendant seems incredibly low to me. Retirement at 40 is crazy too, IMHO. If there is a strike, I think the company will probably be able to find plenty of people who are willing to take the jobs, as jobs are scarce here.

  2. Hi Bob,

    Airline problems, although certainly surprising, are just a tiny portion of the Philippines overall pay inequity. I just read an article on the nurse and doctor situation in the Philippines and it is equally shocking in nature:

    The 12,114 nurses who work in government hospitals [ in the Philippines ] earn an average of $160 a month, a far cry from the $3,000 to $4,000 they can earn in the United States, where many Filipino nurses now work.

    http://www.bilaterals.org/spip.php?article1145

    Even more shocking: Many doctors are actually throwing in the towel and taking jobs overseas as “nurses” in order to make much more money than they make in the Philippines as doctors.

    This is a “problem” that weighs heavily on my mind — when looking at the expected big picture concerning health care in the Philippines, I can see why some wealthy people with major medical problems catch the first plane to a foreign country or home.

    Clearly the country needs to stop its “baby factory” mentality and start encouraging smaller families so it can take care of the population it has now. In my opinion, the lack of birth control is the “root cause” of most of the Philippines’s social problems, including the inability to pay its own hard working citizens a livable wage.

    • Rich
      I don’t know if its that simple as birth control solving all the problems, when it seems to me that having a large family in the philippines is kind of like a retirement plan.
      The kids each provide for the parents as they age into the golden years so the more kids the easier it is to provide security for the parents.

      • It’s all kind of like a pyramid scheme, though… you can’t keep on producing more and more kids… sooner or later it has to come to an end!

      • Neal,
        In a way you are 100% correct — a larger family in the Philippines DOES add some security for the parents when they get old.

        However, as the population grows exponentially, such a society will collapse or use up all its resources and the population will die off as it does in many nations in Africa or North Korea from famine and hunger. China is a good example of a country that has turned their population growth around and now they enjoy, for the most part, a tremendous economic growth.

        According to the 2007 Census, the population of the Philippines was 88,574,614. As of 2009, the estimated population is 92,226,600 people. With the population growing exponentially, how many more years do you think it will be before there is standing room only in the Philippines???

        Sorry Bob, for going a little off topic. I’ll try not to let it happen again.

        • Rich
          Good Point!
          The Philippines would benefit from some kind of China type of population control.

        • Well the Philippines doesn’t need to pursue a China-like one-child policy, but it does need to break the hold of the Catholic Church and allow the spread of birth control here. The high birth rate here just perpetuates the cycle of poverty. But of course, like all countries, the Philippines won’t react until it is way too late.

      • It doesn’t work like that.When the oldies reach a certain age very often the kids will demand their ‘share’ of the family assets.Every generation – less than twenty years – that share gets smaller and smaller until the final recipient gets rid of his share for a pittance.

        Out in the coconut plantations I’ve seen any number of substantial lots split and split again until they became unworkable. (And the children NEVER agree on a cooperative)That’s when the local businessman steps in waving cash and snaps up the small lots for next to nothing.It’s one of the ways rich folks get richer and the poor poorer.

        Negative I know.Sorry.

    • Hi Rich – Personally, I think you are taking the wrong approach when you worry about getting health care here. The health care you can get here in the Philippines is extremely high quality, and inexpensive. Health care here is not even on my list of worries.

    • Rich, off topic also, but back on nurses, doctors, and medical care. Until three years ago, the US had a special nurses visa under which tens of thousands of Philippine nurses went to the US. Nursing schools expanded and it seemed for awhile that every kid with the smarts (and dcotors too) were studying to become a nurse. BUT three plus years ago, this program lapsed and since then, over the past three years the US has accepted 300 Philippine nurses per year – just when this HUGE supply of nurses came available. Not surprisingly, enrolment in nursing schools has fallen like a stone – and doctors are back in their offices. The US classifies nursing as a skilled job, not a profession, so the nurses who have jobs in the US are in the line with electricians, plumbers and so on. Current wait is seven YEARS.

      As for the nurses that have come out of the pipeline, my sister in law is one of them having passed ALL the many tests required to go to the US. We had to use a connection (we give 10k pesos to the local college each year and the owner of this college also owns a hospital) to get her an UNPAID job in a hospital in which she must take one seminar per month at a cost of 3,000, i.e., we are paying for her to work – and she is a lucky one. My denstist has two assistants who are doing their practicum. They are nurses who are retraining as dental assistants since there are still jobs for dental assistants in the Gulf, but not for nurses.

  3. Bob
    I can understand the pay because its the Philippines and should not to be compared to the US pay scale for similar work.
    Now the age thing I don’t understand, if its a issue of them all of a sudden being 40 and not attractive that dont make sense. I have some beautiful Filipinas over 40 that I wouldn’t mind looking at as they served in flight cocktails.

    • No doubt, Neal, that it would be wrong to directly compare wages in the USA with wages here in the Philippines. I do think, though, that the wages of the flight attendants are way below the average, and would make it hard to enjoy any kind of decent living standard. You are right, I have seen plenty of over 40 Filipinas that are quite beautiful.

  4. Hi Bob,
    Low paid pilots,low paid flight attendants,airfares on a par with most other airlines,mmm,where is all the money going???
    No wonder Cebu Pacific Air flight attendants are making a “song and dance” routine on board lol.

    I feel wages in general were relative to the cost of living,but as we know,the cost of living has shot up over the last few years,it seems wages are lagging well behind and most people are actually getting poorer at the expense of the top 10% of Fat Cats.
    I did hear murmers of VAT going up to 15%,that could be the straw that breaks the camels back,if it were to happen.
    regards,Chas.

    • Chas…does that VAT you mentioned apply to foreigners ? If so, that sure put a crimp into a foreigners pocket book as well as the local peoples.

      • Hi Dan – The VAT applies to everybody. If you have been to the Philippines, you’ve already been paying 12%, it is built right into the prices of everything.

    • Hi chas – I think that PAL flight prices (for domestic) are a bit lower than worldwide prices. However, that said, they are not that much lower that flight attendants should be earning only $200/mo. Like you said…. where is all the money going?

      VAT is already 12% and has been for years now. There was talk of going to 15% earlier this year, but I haven’t heard it mentioned for a while now. I personally don’t think it will be increased, but we’ll have to see.

  5. wow that is low mate my wife who is living in manila and works at a call center there in the ciry makes about $ 500 so why isit so low and how can thay make a living at that mate now i know why a lot off things here in australia are closing and moving over seas there thay dont have to give the ppl a lot off pay sad but right mate how in hell do thay think ppl can live and pay there way whan it is like this sooner or latter some one is going to get very upset mate and it look like it is on the way……

    peter martin tassie…..

    • Ya Peterjoy….a lot of buisiness here have there …call for help part..sourced off shore..call centers..what ever you want to call it….I can remember on time a few years ago had a problem with my DSL internet and had to call..hahah what a joke……got some body in India..poor lady could not speak english and all she could do is read from a page on what could be the problem and was good at repete same thing over and over…..so had to ask 5 times to talk to her supervisor…at the time thought I would get something different……..how ever, I think the lady just handed my call to the lady sitting next to her and went thru the same thing……so how I go the problem done was call my phone company and told them I want some body in USA..that knows what they are doing to come and fix my problem and that I did not have time to wait for some body from India to come and fix…….so for a lot of things here…service or help on waranty problems are out sourced and one just best hope nothing goes wrong or you are in for one heck of a lot of flustrating time on what ever the problem is….and hey…that nice your wife making $500.00 a month….not sure how good that is for Manilia but sure sounds better than $200.00 a month….

      • Hey Dan – I have a Linksys router. One time I had to call for support, so I called the US number, and I was talking to somebody right here in Davao! 😆

        • Wow Bob..thats funny….thats called going full circle for support and find out its in your own back yard, but then you probably was able to understand them at the call center if their english was off a little because u live there..

    • Hi Peter – Yes, the call center people are up to making about $500 per month for a higher level job (not entry level), and I would have thought that flight attendants would be even a bit higher than that. It really surprised me.

  6. Bob;
    The next time I fly PAL I’ll start tipping the Flight Attendants. Is $200 per month for domestic flights? International flights I would hope would pay more, unless the attendants sleep on the airport floor in Europe and the US?
    I saw a similar situation all around the world when I’d meet Pinoy Merchant Seaman. I would have stayed in bed before I’d sail for their salary. And that’s was on European Flag ships, the US Merchant Seaman must be a citizen of the US to sail on US flagged ships, that is the law, (until a shipping line gets it repealed with a hefty campaign donation) Merchant Seaman from Europe are getting less and less in numbers as their companies hire people who will sail for a tenth of what they used to have pay. “Praise be to the Global Economy” and the corporations that run the world.

    • Amen brother on “praise be to the Global Economny” and may the bird of Durian fly up their nose….

    • Ha ha.. I think you are right, Paul… the flight attendants might have to start relying on tips! 😯 I don’t know for sure about the international attendants, it would seem that they must earn more than that! I bet it is still quite low, though. It would have to be, I suppose.

  7. Hi Bob – News of potential strikes at PAL are having an effect elsewhere – like in our household. For the first time in (I can’t remember how long), Emy and I will be flying home on a different carrier. We don’t want another PAL “experience” – like a 14 hour bus ride to Manila because of PAL canceling all flights for an “indefinite period” to our provincial capital a few years back.

    The effect? Ticket prices (driven by ticket demand) on other airlines are peaking early this holiday season. Good thing we purchased our tickets when the first round of possible strikes came out.

    Home sweet home – can hardly wait! 😉

  8. i know pal’s attendants are not as dexterous, onboard or in the dancefloor, as cebu pacific’s but still i support their stand on age and sex discrimination on asia’s first airline.

  9. The call centers are filled with nurses here….they can make more money.

    Have to agree with Bob on the level of care with the Doctors here. I went to an ENT in Cebu recently and had a good experience….I won’t go in to detail….but it was all done for approx 30US….no complaints here. Oh and part of his training was done in the US.

    It seems a lot of the jobs here….good jobs….pay in the area of 200-300US a month….not sure how the people make ends meet…but they do.

  10. i would rather fly here in philippines, than go by sea,but now i wonder.all have missed the main point here,i was am fixed wing aircraft mechanic in the service. strikes and such can put am strain on the quality of service on PAL. What are the mechanic’s making at PAL .lol.i would rather have am bad flight attendant than am angry mechanic.

  11. Hi Bob,

    Hold it. The figures you have up there aren’t quite correct. I read in a forum quoting Manila Bulletin, that the actual wages are way much higher. For domestic FA’s between P34-P37 K package. The intl FA’s between P50-P60 K package. These include productivity pay, allowances (including rice!). The pursers make about P10K+ more. Email me if you want to see that article. Who would want to grow old in a company that after 20 years, you’d still be making minimum wage? My niece had been there for 20+ years, had 2 kids, and married to a fairly well to do dude, and still wants to fly. She’s even the president of such inane club, cat lovers society. Yes, they’re still receiving less than foreign carriers but hell in the Philippines those kind of wages are middle management wages. (I emailed you the article.)

    I’m no Lucio Tan fan but FASAP is running their people out of a job. Because, this one is going to take over. It has built a brand name for itself, and its people seem to be happy working there. I’m sure they don’t make as much as PAL employees:

    http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/videogaga/59148/coffee-teaor-gaga-flight-attendants-safety-dance-to-pop-hits/ (6.5 m hits as of today.)

    Alex

    • Hi Alex – As I said in the article, I was only quoting what was said on ANC. I do not know how accurate that is, and I clearly said that I personally thought that a flight attendant earned more around P40 to 45k per month. I do think, though, that the flight attendants are correct in terms of age and gender discrimination. Such things are common here, but someday they must change to keep pace with the rest of the world.

      • Hi Bob,

        You got the article. I leave that with you. You guessed right, they are making more than that. As for the age issues, I think it has to be based on bona fide qualifications. If you’re overweight, medical issues (like bad knees, bad back etc), eyesight failing, I wonder how you will react in times of emergency. FA jobs are physically demanding and stressful, more suited to the young and able bodied (not necessarily because they’re better looking.) My favourite job was Serving in restaurants but it isn’t something I can do anymore, and sure as hell I won’t hire someone who can’t keep up with the pace required to do the job. That’s from me.

        Alex

        • Hi Alex – Truth is, neither one of us knows how much the flight attendants are paid. You heard one thing from a news organization, I heard something else from a different news organization. I tend to believe what you heard more than I believe what I heard, but we don’t know.

          You say that the age issue must be based on bona fide qualifications. Right now it is not. It is a flat retirement age of 40. In my opinion, that is unfair. There are 40 year olds who can do the job. There are 39 year olds who cannot. There is nothing magical that happens on that day that you turn 40. Because of that, the policy of PAL is discriminatory in terms of age.

          • Hi Bob,

            True. We agree on that. The are serious issues here but the ANC report is way too dramatic. I happen to know of 2 FA’s (in their senior years) who are not exactly minimum wage earners.

            Chances are there may be laws covering gender and age discrimination already but working there, I discovered no one really pays attention to that. As far as wages go, we cant simply convert pesos to dollars. We have to use purchasing power parity (2.5x ppp for wages earned in the Phil).

            Anyway, we’ll find out more later. If PAL survives I hope they change the FA uniforms. I’ve seen that for the last 18 years.

  13. Hi Bob,
    I just did an interesting comparison between PAL and Cebu Pacific.
    Long weekend in February,return flight from Davao City to Singapore (via Manila) standard fares.
    PAL fare is virtually double Cebu Pacific fare.PAL fare is a whopping USD$498+taxes =USD$679.
    You could fly (return) to the USA or Europe for not much more,with other Airlines.
    The mind boggles lol.
    regards,Chas.

    • Hi Chas – Interesting. I am not sure how fair the comparison with US flight rates are, because there are other factors like how much the airports charge for landing rights and such… but it sure sounds high, doesn’t it? The PAL – CEB fare comparison for the same route is certainly fair, though.

  15. Bob: When I came back into town Friday, I was talking with one of the NAIA airport officials (a tower employee) on the flight. He told me that the airport has been told to prepare for a strike this week.

    As to US flight attendants: My cousin was one for Delta a while back. As a new hire, she earned only about $30K per year. The flight and other benefits were great, though. She used to room with 3 other flight attendants, so her rent was minimal (One or more of them were always out working, so it is not as crazy as it may sound). They also only get paid for actual flying time (As do pilots).

    Most Asian airlines have the age limits for the positions except purser or the senior flight attendant (SQ and Cathay, in particular). The unions also either don’t exist or are weak. That is why you don’t see the bitter old hags so common on Delta, American, and United.

  16. It was eerie to me to see only young and slim attendants on my round-trip MNL-DVO flight a couple of years back.

    I suppose that the reason for it is partly cultural and mostly profit-driven but I think that it reflects very poorly on PAL (and other companies) in the international markets.

    To most of us, age means experience and especially with air travel, it is a comfort to see those we view as experienced in control of our surroundings.

  18. Bob,

    I also read that news about their salaries and i was also quite shock, just roughly $ 200.00/per mo. is quite low, no wonder a lot of educated filipinos prefer to work overseas, i for eg, earned more than 4x than them so to hear this is quite depressing

    • Hi Rebecca – Long time since I heard from you, I hope you are doing well!

      Yes, their salaries are low. Like you, I found it depressing when I heard that!

  19. RE your comments on flight attendant pay, Bob. It may well be correct that P6800 is all some FA’s earn. Even in the US, FA’s often get paid for flight hour only, and it’s easy (hard) for them to work all day and only get paid for a few minutes flying time. In general FA’s and many other transport workers are not covered under hourly minimum wage laws … and here in the Philippines, even if they were, the minimum wage is teeny-tiny.

  20. Perhaps the domestic flight attendants might make a couple hundred but I think the international PAL flight attendants make according to a $$$$ scale as mandated by flight attendant unions???? Just a guess without having done the research. I was just on a Delta flight to the States and most of the Attendants were well into their 40’s, 50’s and maybe even 60’s. Gag!!! Nevertheless, I want service more than anything and could care less about looks. These gals were obviously remnants of Northwest Airlines Delta took over. Remember Delta was a domestic airline itself. Poor Philippines. Nothing will change in the country until they figure a way to realistically deal with poverty and bring people out of it and into the mainstream. But I never see this happenning in my and possibly your lifetime. Funny how we love it and embrace the Philippines despite its horrible faults. I will be back in a couple of months to rejoin my wonderful life there of $60 helpers and yayas. $100 drivers. $5 masseuses, $5 manicue and pedicure, $2 haircuts, on and on and on etc….. I love the Philippines hahahaha

    • Hi Thomas – International flight attendants for PAL are paid more than domestic… but nowhere near what flight attendants on western airlines earn. The PAL flight attendants are covered by the same Philippine Union, whether they are flying domestic or international.

  21. Just a small correction, Dave, the amount I heard was P8,600… I think you just transposed the numbers. But, it is certainly interesting to hear that US flight attendants are paid in a way that makes it hard to earn any money. I had always thought of a flight attendant as being a pretty good job.

  25. Let it happen. PAL did this to themselves.

    I’m also giddy at the thought of what open skies can do for my travel options. The lorded the skies too long & got fat & lazy with the monopoly.

    Don’t know if you know this, but aside from mandatory 40 yrs age limit, no maternity pay AND travel benefits when pregnant.

    I personally know one of the first PAL pilots who left and was shocked by the low compensation. He bolted to better pay in an HK airline & other airlines are following suit & trying to grab the rest of the disenchanted pilots. When I was told about the pay/benefits, I was impressed even a bit jealous (includes a sweet downtown condo in HK).

    Is the $200/mos. for domestic or int’l attendants? It is quite low, but I know the pays are considerably different depending on where the attendant flies. If $200 is for the int’l attendants… oh, boy.

    • Hi Macky – Well, PAL doesn’t have a complete monopoly, with Cebu Pacific and a few others in the mix. But on some routes they have a monopoly, though.

      • True. That is the case now with domestic routes. I meant for the majority of PAL’s existence. Only in recent memory (starting mid-1990’s) have they been feeling the pressure to compete.

        Such a shame since they had quite a good head start being Asia’s first airline.

        • Hi Macky – Speaking of PAL being Asia’s first airline.. there are so many areas where the Philippines was once a leader among nations in Asia… and is now a laggard. It’s really sad.

  26. Hi Bob
    When you mentioned Open Skies and how it will hurt PA, you forgot to mention Cebu Pacific as that airline would be hurt as well. Also in the same sentence Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines (owned by PA) would be able to pick up some of the slack in case of a strike. I know there has been mention of a government takeover of PA but I think that is mainly a threat with no intention of the government following through on that. Also PA is owned by Lucio Tan who has some influence on the government being a billionaire in U.S. dollars. PA is still struggling so I have some sympathies for them though forcing female flight attendants to retire is outrageous especially when you consider Filipinas age so gracefully and look much younger then their true age.
    I know many of the PA pilots are leaving for greener pastures, I wonder if flight attendants are also in demand overseas?

  28. I’ve not had time to read any of the other replies to your topic, but I am a little astounded. Why would anyone work for that amount of money in that position in that industry? I’m quite sure that they could all get positions with other international airlines if they are properly trained, which, to me, they have always appeared to be. Perhaps this is a basic salary and it is augmented by other means…route bonuses, shift bonuses etc.? Unless of course it is such a highly regarded job that people will work in those positions to be able to avoid leaving home but still be able to boast “I’m a flight attendant”. Certainly, I can remember 30 years ago that airine crew were regarded with some awe by some members of the public, before most people realised it was actually a waitressing job, and a hard one at that.

    I somehow doubt that the government will do much…unfortunately; Philippine governments are not exactly famous for resolving issues like this, but wow…open skies, and tourism would certainly benefit.

    • Hi Jim – I really don’t know the answers to your questions, I only know what I heard on the news. If these Flight Attendants were in demand, they may not have reason to strike, though. Since they seem intent on going on strike, I can only surmise that they don’t have other options.

  29. hi bob
    you’re right discrimination of any sort is not needed. poor pay and early retirement leads to shabby performance and a lack of experience when things go wrong. we recently flew long haul with klm and was pleasantly suprised at the attendants ages, mostly over 40. it was without doubt the best we have been looked after, good service and genuinely helpful

  30. I worked for PAL from 1988 to 1992 on a long haul contract and I thought that the PAL cabin crew were among the best in the world. Good looking and with a really good attitude no matter what the circumstance.I am sure things have not changed and hope they are successful in the effort to improve terms and conditions. This is just another example of exploitation in the Philippines.

      • Best 4 years of my adult life – worked with good people and was treated well.I actually was employed by an Irish aircraft leasing company so was on western salary and conditions which were excellent.Had 2 days off the first 6 months as we had a lot of problems getting the project up and running.We gave PAL everything we could to make things go well.The pilots loved us as we worked our own way which made things happen much quicker.I was informed by a PAL senior manager that he would have to employ 90 extra staff to replace our 9 expat engineers.The workers at my level were excellent but the management were more interested in looking after their own interests and corruption was rife.They got rid of the only CEO who tried to clean things up.

        • I would imagine that it was a very good experience, Bryan. Especially having a western salary and enjoying the benefits of being in the Philippines!

  31. Women in the Philippines are definately treated like lesser citizens. I listen to the stories my wife tells me about wage differences and age discrimination. I didn’t realize that there is no law really governing age discrimination. She showed me jobs offered in various places like malls and store fronts and the descriptions showed a specific age group. So I can see PAL making them retire at whatever age they want and it being legal.

    I guess I am not up on wages though. I thought the 8200 was a good salary but your comment about it should be more set me back. Because my wife with her Bachelor degree in business only paid out 5000 per month when she was there. Shows what little I know. 🙂

    Great article as always sir.

    • I don’t know that I would agree about women being treated as lesser citizens here. After all, the Philippines has had 2 female presidents, compared to zero in the US.

      Thanks, Darin, I am glad you enjoyed the article!

      • Well the wife seems to think women are treated as lesser citizens but oh well. Guess I will have to move there first to see it first hand so I will know for myself. 🙂

  32. The logic in the parity of purchasing power to determine whether a Filipino salary is competitive or not somewhat eludes me. No matter how you slice and dice it, IMHO, the equivalent of $200 salary per month, if it’s true that that’s what PAL flight attendants make, is simply ridiculous. While some products and goods in the Philippines are dirt cheap, a lot of things a flight attendant needs are not. Personal products to maintain a high standard of hygiene and good grooming alone, if you go to any Mercury Drug, probably cost as much as those sold Stateside.

  33. It is shocking to see posters writing about the $200 monthly salary, and NOT READ the post by AlexB that mentioned the news article that they really make P34k – P70k+. I have read this news article. Look at the recent archives (within the last 7 days) of either http://www.trbune.net.ph or http://www.malaya.com.ph

    As for complaining about the Age 40 retirement, just think about the competition from the other Asian airlines – they have all young Flight Attendants. The Philippines’ laws also allow age and sex discrimination for certain business and industries.

    The PAL pilots also have the right to leave for higher pay, BUT, they signed a contract that requires them to give a 6-month notice (which they chose to disregard, and fly the coop, thereby leaving PAL short handed). Do you think a company would train you for a specialized very high-paying job, and then let you leave, as soon as you have completed training?

    All of you bleeding hearts, should put all of these into the right context. Read the complete story of PAL, and how it is the most bloated airline in terms of staffing. And how it is trying to continue to be in business. Bottom line, PAL is losing money, it closes shop. AND where would all of these well paid people go to find work? Open their own Sari-Sari store?

    I am not a PAL advocate. But this labor dispute just highlights one more reason why China, Vietnam, et.al. is now moving ahead of the Philippines (in terms of economy).

    • I think there is fault on every side of the issue, genius8. Probably one of the biggest faults is that the Government stood by and protected PAL from competition for decades. Keeping other airlines out of the country’s domestic routes. That is what made PAL fat and lazy.

    • Hi Don – I would kindly ask… please do not post full news articles in the comments here. I do not own the copyright on that article, and thus, I could be sued for having it here. Instead, kindly post a link to the article, that way I am legally in good shape. I am not mad, just asking kindly, because I prefer to stay out of legal trouble.

      I have deleted the article, and changed it to a link to the article instead. Sorry to do this… but there are serious legal issues on this.

    • Hi Don – Some of the “total remuneration” listed in the article are ridiculous, IMHO. For example, they count shoes. A female flight attendant gets P800 twice per year for shoes. Those people are on their feet basically all day long. Do you wear shoes that cost P800? I don’t, because being on my feet a lot, I want shoes that are higher quality. They get money for “thermal clothing”. So, PAL makes them fly to cold areas, and the fact that they get money to buy a jacket becomes part of their salary? Frankly, they would not need a jacket in the Philippines, so they would not have one. Some items on the list are legitimate to count toward salary, but certainly not all. The article confirms what I said that the basic salary is P8,600 per month – but there are some extras.

    • Just a couple other comments on this, after look at the article further. Just to show how ridiculous some of PAL’s claims are. They say that the FA’s get a good retirement. They get 1.5 months for every year worked. Well, a flight attendant must retire at 40. So, let’s say she started at 20. She would then be able to work 20 years. So, she will get 30 months of salary. There would be no allowances for shoes and such in that retirement, since she is no longer flying. So, she gets 30 times P8,600. So, for 20 years of service to the company, she gets P258,000. That is roughly $6,000 for her total retirement, based on 20 years of service. Is that fair?

      Also, a lot of the things that PAL is counting toward the salary (the perks) are ridiculous. If the flight attendant is forced to stay overnight at a far away airport she gets $45. That pays for her hotel room and meals. She is not “making” a lot of money out of that.

      • Bob…That comes to about $25.00 a month retirement for each Month worked….I am not sure you can live to good there on $25.00 a month!, and so after 40, from the sounds of it you are washed up and no body wants you?

  35. A flight attendant is paid 8000+????? Seriously?????

    My maid gets paid 6600 a month plus puppy bonuses to brush my old does, take them out to pee, etc… gEEZ!

    I would go on strike too if I was paid 8000+ and must retire at 40.

    I was just in Manila I paid almost 15,000 for my business class round trip ticket, hell you mean my ticket cost more than what the FA gets paid in a month? BOGGLES the mind!