“The matter involving two passengers onboard Flight 5J 653 from Manila to Cebu is now being addressed by the concerned parties. CEB will cooperate with the [government] authorities as necessary,” a statement issued by the airline company said.

Reports said the airline’s flight crew was holding a parlor game—CEB’s signature brainchild—when two of 12 Chinese tourists got rowdy.

Authorities said Ballsy, President Aquino’s elder sister, and her husband Eldon Cruz were onboard the Cebu Pacific jetliner when the incident happened.

Ballsy, who was interviewed on television, said the two Chinese, who were seated behind them, grabbed Eldon’s collar after the Chinese were reprimanded by her husband for being too rowdy.

The crew, as well as several passengers, immediately intervened and reprimanded the Chinese passengers.

“I don’t want this kind of incident happening to other Filipinos,” Ballsy said, adding that the Chinese were not careful about hitting anybody.

“My husband just said, ‘Be careful.’ Suddenly, they grabbed him by the collar,” Ballsy said.

The authorities identified the two Chinese, who are among a group of mediamen, as Yan Han, 31, and Mai Liyasi, 33. The two were detained at a Cebu airport after landing, when the incident was reported to the aviation security police by the airline’s crew.

“I don’t like this happening to other people. I don’t want foreigners treating our own citizens that way,” Ballsy said.

Han and Mai Liyasi were brought to Manila onboard Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 570 at 6 p.m. to be investigated by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

The deputy director of the National Police, Aviation Security Group, Col. Arturo Evangelista, said the BI will investigate the case.

According to the Department of Tourism, the Chinese mediamen were on a tour of the country’s tourist spots as part of a “familiarization tour” and to promote tourism in Cebu.

The 10 others continued the tour in Cebu and will return to Manila on Monday.

Ballsy and Cruz, who were headed to Cebu to attend a wedding, said they will not press charges.

Palace mum on incident

MALACAÑANG said on Sunday it has left with concerned authorities the investigation of the incident during a domestic flight involving a brother in law of the President and two Chinese journalists over the weekend.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Abigail Valte said Malacañang would withhold comment on the altercation between Cruz and two Chinese journalists who had accosted Cruz during a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Cebu.

“There is an investigation under way by the proper authorities…. Let’s leave the investigators first to their work. I believe Mr. Cruz doesn’t need to file a complaint so let’s just leave this to the investigators as some might say that we are wielding influence or something of that sort,” Valte said.

When asked, Valte said there is apparently no connection between the incident and tension between the Philippines and China over the disputed Spratly Islands.

“They are unrelated incidents. Certainly, things like this happen and this has nothing to do with the issue in the West Philippine Sea,” she said.

Reports said the Cruzes where onboard a Cebu Pacific flight to Cebu when two Chinese journalists—part of a group of Chinese journalists visiting Cebu upon the invitation of the Department of Tourism—began to display unruly and disruptive behavior while taking photos of the flight attendants conducting an in-flight game.

Cruz reportedly asked the two to be careful not to hit any of the passengers as they took photos, which prompted one of them to grab him by the collar and manhandled him.

(With M. Gonzalez)