Cebu Pacific is proving that budget airlines can also lead on values. At the 2025 ESG Business Awards, held in Malaysia and organized by ESGBusiness, the carrier took home top honors for “Diversity & Inclusion” and “Sustainable Transportation,” two categories that highlight not only how it flies passengers, but how it treats people and the planet.
The recognition is more than just a plaque on the wall. Cebu Pacific has worked in recent years to expand its policies around equity and inclusion, moving beyond tokenism to real institutional protections. The airline now explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Employee benefits have been updated to include same-sex and common-law partners, and internal employee networks, including “Rainbow Routes” for LGBTQIA+ voices, have gained visibility. Alongside these social initiatives, the airline has been modernizing its fleet, cutting carbon emissions, and positioning itself as one of the lowest-emission carriers globally.
What makes these wins resonate more deeply is Cebu Pacific’s history of breaking barriers. In 2019, the airline made headlines when it hired Jess Labares and Mikee Vitug, the Philippines’ first openly transgender women flight attendants. Their hiring was not a publicity stunt but the result of 57 days of rigorous training, testing, and survival drills that matched the standards applied to any cabin crew. For Jess, who came from a background in physical therapy and pageantry, the achievement was a moment of history: “On behalf of the LGBTQ community, thank you… this means we have progressed into a more accepting society.” Mikee, who once doubted a trans woman could even be hired in Philippine aviation, described the role as both humbling and life-changing.
Their journeys were not without challenges. Entering an industry that had never before welcomed openly transgender women meant carrying the weight of representation on their shoulders. Success came with pressure, but it also brought visibility. Their presence challenged stereotypes, opening the door for others and forcing institutions to reckon with outdated ideas about who belongs in aviation.
The broader reality is that most transgender people do not experience this level of inclusion. Workplace discrimination remains a global crisis. In the United States, nearly half of transgender employees report discrimination or harassment at work each year, and more than half say they have been fired, denied a job, or passed over for promotion because of their gender identity. In the Philippines, some progress has been made, with Department Order 251-25 strengthening protections against gender-based bias in 2025. Yet because a national SOGIE anti-discrimination law has still not passed, many trans workers remain without full legal recourse. Local ordinances exist in some provinces and cities, but protections are inconsistent, and many employees hesitate to report abuse for fear of retaliation.
Looking back now, it is easier to see how Cebu Pacific’s milestone connects to its current ESG honors. What began with two women courageously stepping into the cabin has grown into a broader corporate identity that ties social justice to environmental responsibility. Cebu Pacific’s awards are not simply about compliance, but about the recognition that a modern company cannot separate sustainability from inclusivity.
For transgender people, the story is a reminder of how visibility and policy change work hand in hand. Jess and Mikee’s breakthrough showed what representation can look like in practice. Cebu Pacific’s evolving policies demonstrate that representation must be backed by institutional commitment. And the ESG recognition underscores a bigger truth: inclusion and sustainability are not competing goals, but shared pillars of progress.
Cebu Pacific still has work to do, as all companies do, but the direction is unmistakable. From its early steps in hiring trans pioneers to its current position as a recognized leader in inclusivity and sustainability, the airline’s path reflects a wider lesson: change may begin with individuals, but it endures only when systems rise to meet them.
