Bautista named PAL president

The Board of Directors of Philippine Airlines, chaired by Dr. Lucio C. Tan, today announced the appointment of Jaime J. Bautista as company president and chief operating officer, and the retirement of Avelino L. Zapanta, who held the post for the past five years.

Bautista assumed office immediately after the board convened and elected the officers of PAL. Prior to that, he was named a board member at today's annual PAL stockholders' meeting.

Bautista, 47, brings both youth and experience into the airline. He is an old hand in the aviation sector, with a strong background in finance. Immediately prior to his new posting, Bautista was president and chief executive officer of Air Philippines, the country's third-largest carrier.

He is also currently treasurer and member of the board of directors of Macroasia Corp., a leading aviation-services provider.

Bautista is a PAL veteran himself. He was, successively, senior vice president and chief financial officer, and then executive vice president and chief operating officer of the flag carrier in the mid-1990s. He has served on the airline's Board of Advisors since 2002.

Outside the aviation industry, Bautista has held senior management posts at Basic Capital Investments Corp. (chairman and president); PNB Forex, Inc. (president); Baguio Gold Holdings Corp. (president); Cube Factor Holdings, Inc. (president); University of the East (vice chairman, Board of Trustees); and Balabac Resources & Holdings Company (member, Board of Directors).

A certified public accountant, the new PAL chief holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree, magna cum laude, from the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila.

He is married to Josefina, likewise a CPA, and the couple has a daughter, Jaime Liza, a graduating student of accounting at the De La Salle University.