PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Air travel and banking operations in the city were disrupted due to a global IT outage affecting CrowdStrike and Microsoft services.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Area IV-B Manager Nick Rascal reported that two Cebu Pacific flights were canceled on the evening of July 19 and the morning of July 20 due to the worldwide IT issue. Passengers on flights 5J638 and 5J648 faced extended delays, with some waiting overnight at the airport.

“The flights have begun to normalize, and the airline is making necessary adjustments,” Rascal said on Saturday morning.

In the banking sector, branches across the city, including major institutions like Metrobank, RCBC, and BDO, experienced service interruptions.

BDO San Pedro Manager Dingdong Arzaga explained that the outage, which began around 1:30 p.m. the previous day, affected most operations except for ATM services at their Rizal Avenue branch.

“We are catching up on transactions from yesterday and expect to resume normal operations later today,” Arzaga noted, praising their IT department’s swift response to the outage.