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"Asia is a very exciting place to be - the Philippines is one of the most exciting places to be. Great opportunity there," says Michael Szucs, chief executive of the Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific.

Lao was responding to a Reuters query following a report in the Inquirer newspaper on Tuesday that said Cebu Pacific will seek out the best offer from either Boeing or Airbus in what is likely a winner-takes-all deal.

Cebu Pacific is the Philippines' largest budget carrier, operating an exclusive fleet of 80 Airbus aircraft as of the first half.

It added air traffic services received an anonymous email about a threat to flights from Manila to Davao, Bicol and the tourist regions of Palawan and Cebu.

One of the region's most popular beach destinations, Cebu saw more than 1 million domestic and foreign travellers last year, while Bicol in the central Philippines saw nearly 5 million, according to the tourism department.