Since the mercy flights are arranged as special flights, the passengers effectively pay a chartered rate, based on the price range set by the airline companies.
The special flights were arranged by provincial authorities as stranded tourists scrambled to leave after Palawan declared its own lockdown early this week as part of the national government’s directive to implement a Luzon-wide “enhanced community quarantine” to fight the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.
City officials, consulting with Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez, eventually decided to allow for "mercy flights" to clear the airport of stranded passengers.
