PAL offers P1-fare to help rebuild Marawi

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 28) — The Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Saturday announced an airfare promo as part of its efforts to help rebuild the war-torn city of Marawi.

PAL introduced the "piso fare" or P1 one-way base fare to Cagayan de Oro from Manila, Cebu, or Davao. The fare is exclusive of government taxes, fees, ticketing service charge, and surcharges.

"Now you can reach out to your loved ones and show them the love they deserve. #PusoParaSaMarawi," PAL said in a statement.

Marawi City, which is about 1,500 km south of Manila, was the main battlezone of the five month-long firefights between government troops and the ISIS-inspired rebel group Maute, which left buildings ruined and homes reduced to rubble.

The non-refundable tickets are available only on October 28 at philippineairlines.com. The travel period is from October 28 to December 14.

The promo, which is limited to only 1,000 seats, covers 7-kg handcarried baggage and a 10-kg free baggage allowance.

The usual charges will be applied for rebooking or failure to check in on time.

The Laguindingan International Airport in Cagayan de Oro is the closest option for those who will visit Marawi through air travel. From there, buses and shuttle services will take passengers to Iligan, Lanao del Norte in about one to two hours.

It would take another hour of jeepney or FX ride from Iligan to reach Marawi.

President Rodrigo Duterte in September said the P50 billion initially pledged by the government is not enough to rebuild Marawi.

Several countries and international organizations have pledged to help rebuild war-torn Marawi. These include Australia, Japan, the United States Agency for International Development, Asian Development Bank, European Union, World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme.

Urban planner and renowned architect Jun Palafox earlier told CNN Philippines it may take up to 50 years to rebuild Marawi because of the extent of the damage.