BUDGET carrier Cebu Pacific announced on Sunday the cancelation of its 38 domestic flights from April 5 to April 11 due to the travel restrictions in Metro Manila and Western Visayas.

Cebu Pacific canceled 28 flights between Manila and Boracay, Kalibo, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Coron, Lagazpi, Pagadian, and San Jose because of the extended enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the areas covered by the so-called National Capital Region (NCR) Plus.

“Only essential travel is allowed in and out of Metro Manila until April 11,” the budget carrier noted.

Cebu Pacific also announced that the interagency task force has approved the request of the local government of Region 6 (Western Visayas) to temporarily suspend the acceptance of incoming passengers until April 10.

Ten flights are affected, including flights from Manila to Iloilo, Roxas, and Bacolod.

The budget carrier also canceled the Cebu-Bacolod-Cebu flights and the Cebu-Caticlan-Cebu flights.

Passengers, according to Cebu Pacific, may rebook for travel within 90 days without additional cost, store the amount in a virtual wallet valid for two years, or request a refund, which may take up to seven months due to the high volume of requests.

For its part, flag carrier Philippine Airlines said its domestic flights to and from Manila will continue to operate during the extension of the enhanced community quarantine in the NCR Plus.

Allowed to travel within the ECQ period are: health/emergency frontline services personnel, government officials and frontline personnel, duly authorized humanitarian assistance actors, persons traveling for medical/humanitarian reasons, persons going to the airport for travel abroad, persons crossing zones for work or business permitted in the zone of destination, and returning or repatriated overseas Filipino workers and other returning overseas Filipinos, and locally stranded individuals. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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