Cebuana sisters among Airasia's lady pilots

aside their dreams of flying for a time to practice their nursing profession.

Marizette looked after patients of the Intensive Care Unit at the Mactan Doctors’ Hospital while Abegail was assigned as an Emergency Room nurse at the Chong Hua Hospital. After several years of attending to the needs of sick people, Marizette and Abegail decided it was time to make their dream a reality. “We were very determined to become pilots, so we enrolled at a flying school in Mactan,” Marizette said. The Bacus sisters eventually completed their flying qualifications and went on to become one of the 25 female pilots of Airasia Philippines. “We were lucky to be chosen to train with Airasia, who trained us to become not just first officers, but captains,” Abegail said. Airasia Philippines Chief Executive Officer Capt. Dexter Comendador said the airline is investing in the training of their pilots. “We have 240 pilots, 25 are women, who have all undergone our Airbus training, which costs Airasia P1.7 million. In fact, we are encouraging employees who wish to become pilots to enlist for the training,” he said. He said some of their pilots are former flight attendants and ground crew members who have undergone the Airbus training. Comendador said Airasia has the most number of female pilots in Asia and they are proud to have them. “We take pride in our women pilots, who have proven that they weren’t any different from male pilots,” he said. Marizette and Abegail both fly domestic and international flights for Airasia Philippines and have not experienced any untoward incident so far. “You cannot feel that you’re flying a big aircraft, but you have to keep your composure up there. You have to be prepared for any eventuality,” Marizette said. However, the sisters have never flown together as Airasia prohibits siblings from flying together as pilot and co-pilot. On gender issues, the Bacus sisters said female pilots are treated equally and fairly at Airasia. “Our male pilots never discriminate against us. They treat us, even if we’re still first officers, with respect,” Marizette said. For young ladies aspiring to conquer the skies someday, Abegail only had one thing to say: “When you put your mind to it, you can do anything.” (Luel Galarpe)