President Aquino tried to score brownie points with media Friday night, saying he was open to their criticisms “because it is media’s right and obligation to encourage public discourse” while newsmen covering him are up in arms over his Communication Group (ComGroup)’s repeated preferential treatment of a broadcast network owned by a known political supporter. [...]

The Philippines’ flag carrier Saturday cancelled about a dozen domestic and international flights after several pilots resigned for higher-paying jobs with foreign airlines. Dozens of flights were also delayed for hours due to the lack of pilots, according to Philippine Airlines (PAL). PAL spokesman Jonathan Gesmundo said the problem affected flights using Airbus A320 planes, [...]