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Capt. Stanley Ng: Flying on faith

The outgoing PAL president who presided over its financial resurgence has this ability to go with the flow

Capt. Stanley Ng celebrating 46th birthday over last weekend: On faith, fate and smooth landing (Photo courtesy of Marco Protacio and Dr. Arnel Quiambao)

Captain Stanley K. Ng turns 46 this month, the youngest president and chief operating officer of Philippine Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, and the first pilot to assume that position since 1963—two facts that have been harped about consistently since his appointment in 2022, and continue to be the focus now that he’s stepping down this month.

Predictably, it was the gloss and glam of executive youth and the position that attracted media—that and his good looks, this relatively young man married to a pilot herself, Lilybeth Tan, daughter of PAL owner Kapitan Lucio Tan, with whom he has two children. It didn’t hurt that he’s been visible in official and social events and easily has become the toast of Manila’s Visible Set. In our social chronicler’s memory, he’s one of the most well-liked chief executives in years.

Unfortunately, hardly as scrutinized was the impressive work and results he brought to the job. He presided over the financial resurgence of Asia’s oldest operating airline, an upturn that saw financial targets surpassed and great strides achieved: PAL carried 15.6 million passengers in 2024, 6% higher than 2023; launched the Manila-Seattle nonstop flights in October 2024, PAL’s first new US route in nine years; landed in Cirium’s 2024 Top Ten list of Most Punctual Airlines in Asia-Pacific for the second year in a row. (PAL report on its website)

“We are very pleased with the solid financial performance achieved by the Philippine Airlines team, an outcome of greater operational efficiency, improved schedule reliability, and more consistent service across our global network. In 2024, PAL operated 5% more flights while improving on-time-performance by 2% and schedule reliability by 4%. These gains contributed to a significant increase in customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores, which rose to 73%,” Ng himself was quoted in the PAL website.

(PAL closed 2024 with a solid net income of USD 151.1M (PHP 10.22B), achieving a 5% net margin that outpaced the global airline industry average of 3% tracked by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), according to its website.)

However, as Ng winds down his term in PAL, what strikes us isn’t so much the scoresheet above—as his faith in the Divine Providence. He has a striking yet very casual attitude about faith and fate. And he has this enviable ability to go with the flow—and how.

The guy rose from the ranks; 19 years ago he joined PAL working in the airport check-in counter, given his ability to translate and speak Chinese—and to connect to people. Then he went to aviation school to be a pilot, and eventually managed the operations of PAL. 

Kasi di ba I just blindly accept what’s given to me’

Looking at his career and personal paths the past decades, he now says, “Isipin mo kung paano ka dinala kung saan ka dapat. That’s why yung faith ko is very strong. Kasi di ba I just blindly accept what’s given to me. Kaya palagi akong grateful eh. (Just think of how you’re brought to where you should be. So my faith is very strong. Because I just blindly accept what’s given me. So I’m always grateful).”

We sat down to lunch with him a few days after it was announced that he’d be stepping down as PAL president and COO, to join PAL Holdings. 

This chat allowed us a peek into the mindset, indeed the life philosophy, of an executive right smack in the center of one of the country’s most strategic businesses.

Or more accurately, a high-ranking millennial’s philosophy.

Barely on the threshold of middle age, Ng has a cool attitude towards life, especially in his latest journey. This three-star pilot who’s served or flown three Presidents of the Philippines (PNoy, Duterte, and BBM) is obviously a people’s person. Although he says he’s an introvert, he has this seemingly innate ability to connect to people and lead, which became apparent in PAL. 

Asked what he did behind the scenes to achieve the so-called financial rebound of PAL, Ng inevitably brought our talk to culture and motivating people in this performance management approach. (Of course, PAL also offloaded assets.)

“Because I’ve been there since 2003…. a long time…. So parang I know everyone there. Maybe 90% of the employees, I’m close to some. I started at the airport, check-in counter. Nakakatuwa, di ba? I was happy. All of them, parang, naging friends ko rin, the airport team,” he began to describe the corporate journey, how he got to know people on the ground. 

“Siguro, that helped a bit. And the support I got from the people talaga on the ground. I think that’s really exceptional because my track record rin naman, from the moment I joined PAL, until naging President ako, I never changed. Kung sino ako and same person. Parang, di ka naman, yumabang, di ka nagbago (not become arrogant, didn’t change). So I think these people, they appreciate… Yung nga, it’s always genuine. I mean, I’m just in a position with more responsibility. But end of the day, we’re still friends….

“It’s really the culture…. Actually, to be honest, I did a lot along the way. And those little things made it easier for me today. How do I explain that? Because when I was a pilot, I fought for the pilots a lot…. there were some issues that needed to be handled. So I helped them be their mouthpiece to really explain to shareholders…. getting the message across, what could be lost in translation…. really make the communication better…. I’m a regular employee who understands their problems and their issues, what needs to be addressed….” 

As people he’s met the past few years found out, Ng is approachable, easy to talk to. He has this air of accessibility. In his early interviews, he’s stressed open-mindedness and humility. “…. humble with what I know and what I don’t know. Confident about what you know,” he now told us. 

I told them, the KPI, they’re just like your blood chem. You measure them every year….’

We asked him about the performance management which he spoke about in one interview, and his sharing reflects his ability to relate. “To implement KPI (key performance indicator)….before, we only have on-time performance and reliability. Two metrics that we measured. I introduced, like, 15. To really track the root causes of the problem. Kasi, madali namang sabihin (coz it’s easy to say) on time. But why was the flight not on time? I think if we start tracking them, grabe ‘yung campaign…. I had a difficult time. Imagine, measure, measure, ganyan. So I started thinking, how do I… implement…. I was able to finally find something. I told them, the KPI, they’re just like your blood chem. You measure them every year, let’s say. So if you measure today, are you healthy? Are you not healthy? So you have the stats…. The next time, you have to do something about it. Eat healthier, exercise. May process change ka. It means you have a process change for yourself to change. So next time, when you measure again, it’s better. Because if you measure again the next time and it’s not better, You have to find another way.”

Pressed on, he added: “Performance management. To really change your performance culture. For example, in the past, we had mandatory 13th, then 14th month bonus, Christmas bonus. So I changed it into 13th month mandatory, but 14th month, based on performance of the company. So previously, because everybody gets bonus, regardless if the company is doing well or not. You know the financial situation of PAL. But when I took over, I said, Let’s change this. So everybody here will also put a bet on the company. You have a stake. So when we, you do better, you get more. It’s fair, right? 

“Of course, you can always preach about the culture, change, but at the end of the day, if they get something tangible and substantial, they will ride onto that platform, buy-in, which exactly was what happened. The first year, we made money. So the 14th month became a 15th, 16th month. The trust became stronger. They said, Oh, work hard, we’ll share the profit. So the second year, even better. And last year, it was okay. It went back to the profitability of 2022.”

It didn’t hurt that he came from PAL operations, which further honed his people skills. Ng loves to talk about open-mindedness.

“Open mind,” he says. “Embrace change. I could say that’s really difficult for a pilot like me at that time. 

“To be honest, my plan there (upon appointment) was the first 90 days, I’d just observe and get to know what they’re doing because I’m very familiar with operations. I don’t need to look at that anymore. But finance, marketing, sales, I’ve never worked with them. I work with them a little, but I don’t know what they’re doing. After the first three months, I plan really to just get to know them, what they’re doing on the day-to-day. Like sales, how many sales offices we have, all those things I don’t have an idea. Finance, how are we managing our resources. So I have to understand also my colleagues. So I didn’t want to change anything that time. Because if you come in and then try to change everything, there’s resistance. You really have to blend in more, before you can say, oh, we can maybe do this better by doing this….”

Capt. Stanley Ng

To him, to lead is to go beyond the spreadsheet: “Spreadsheet, I understand it’s important. But more for me, it’s the customer also. Making the staff understand we have to make the first move. You cannot say people will just take PAL…. because of what? So it’s more of value creation…. what value am I giving that customer for that customer to decide to take PAL. So it’s really finding our unique qualities…. I think that’s the most important, end of the day. You need that repeat customer. Like, oh, I’m comfortable with PAL. Loyalty program is one of them.”

Ng recalled wanting to turn ‘customer-centricity’ into ‘customer-obsession’

In hindsight, Ng recalled wanting to turn “customer-centricity” into “customer-obsession”: “I told them it has to be obsession, not just centric. Because with obsession, you think of the things that they need even before they know that they need those things.”

Early on, Ng spoke about “giving back to country,” which drove him to network.  “I became friends with people immediately…. For instance I went to see that time in DOT Secretary Berna…. Sabi ko, Secretary, I really think that Filipino food should be recognized all over the world…. I want to serve good Filipino food to differentiate from other airlines, uniquely Filipino….”

He continued: “Not just with PAL, I’m very optimistic person…. So I’m always optimistic about things….customer obsession—a lot of times, if you base it solely on policies, processes, some things cannot be done. Some requests from customers cannot be done. But let’s always find ways to make it happen.. I said, it’s a bit hard, but we’ll make it happen.”

Ng’s early school years in a Chinese Filipino school were pretty typical—except that nobody could beat him in video games, leading his classmates to note his hand-eye coordination and how he’d make a good pilot (he also loved numbers). His college in electronics engineering at De la Salle was just as uneventful except that there, away from his Binondo world, he saw a bigger world of students from all over the country—and an even bigger social world that included sports like basketball. Long story short, he enjoyed that college life—a bit too much perhaps so he moved to less stringent Business Administration (Computer Applications) at the De la Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

“Basketball is good. That’s what I love. I was the yes man to friends’ invitations. But I never regret those things then, because I learned…. people skills….You developed a lot of relationships also.”

It was around this time that he had an interesting job offer—to ‘teach’ in preschool

After graduation, some basketball friends invited him to open a restaurant near La Salle, and again, that put him in the midst of people. It was around this time that he had an interesting job offer—to “teach” in preschool. “Mahilig ka sa mga bata, di ba (You’re fond of children, right?)? You want to teach a preschool? I did. For six months. They were four years old and below.” Lessons and play, like in a daycare. You can’t get a better life-forming, people-centric option than that. 

“I always consider myself as introvert. Because I don’t really reach out to people. If you don’t come to me, I don’t go to you also. But if you come to me, I’m very okay. I’ll never, ever try to I use anyone. I’ll survive. I’ll make it there. I’ll make things happen for me. I don’t want to hassle anyone.”

Flying had always been his interest but early on he didn’t have the resources or exposure to it. He took a longer route to it—as PAL ground personnel. “It just happened naturally also. But like all my experiences in life, I’m confident as a person because I always know what I can offer. You put me anywhere. And I know I can always become good, better. So I’m very confident.”

His stint as PAL president done, he can fly again—his wife still flies—and train in a bigger aircraft. Or, he has set his sights on training commercial pilots.

We talk about the smooth landing that PAL has been known for.

He put it in an interesting context: “That’s really culture, the sense of pride in it. An identity for the PAL pilot…. It’s always good to have an identity because you’ll do everything to protect that. For instance, PAL pilots the best, they can land the plane, the smoothest. So if you have that in your heart and in your mind, you will always try to protect that. That’s your sense of pride. But I always tell them also, pros and cons yan. If you fall in love with your identity too much, that’s also not good. You still have to be open-minded. Let’s go back to landing. You want a smooth landing. However, if it’s raining so hard and the runway is wet, maybe a smooth landing is not the best that time because you want the plane, the wheels to really touch on the ground…. 

Even in life, in general, if I fell in love with my identity as president of PAL, then I’d be very lonely now, because I’m not anymore. That’s why I always tell them, everything’s temporary. Our life is temporary. So very deep is in the philosophy. So nothing’s going to break you. I trust whatever God has given me and the plans for me.”

Abrupt changes in life. But we went back to smooth landing, the training behind it: “Training also. And the culture. Because when you’re a co-pilot, you fly with captains, different captains. That’s the best time to learn. It’s when you are a co-pilot. That’s a different learning because the whole techniques of different captains, you’ll be able to get that. But if you are a captain already, you’re sitting on the left seat. Maybe you can learn a little from your co-pilots, but not much. You switched the role. Now you’re the one imparting knowledge to the co-pilot…. If you’re a copilot, you fly with different captains. Different captains, different techniques….

“Being a captain is like padre de familia. You have the plan. Sometimes you don’t know the stress of a captain. You know what I’m saying? Sometimes you don’t know the pressure of the father. You keep wanting this, wanting that. They try their best to satisfy you….”

What is it that you want for the future, we asked.

My plan, at PAL, is up to 50 (years old), then 50 onwards, I’ll do something else on my own….” 

On further thought, he said: “You write your own book. It’s your destiny. But you dare to imagine the future. I always believe in the power of the mind. If you think about it, it will come true. If you want something, and of course, you work hard for it. You’ll get it.”

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After devoting more than 30 years to daily newspaper editing (as Lifestyle editor) and a decade to magazine publishing (as editorial director and general manager), she now wants to focus on writing—she hopes.

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