Jules Ledesma Slams Philippine Airlines After Wife Assunta de Rossi Gets Held Up Over “Maria” vs “Ma.” Ticket Name
Negros Occidental 1st District Rep. Jules Ledesma took to social media to air his frustration with Philippine Airlines (PAL) after his wife, actress Assunta de Rossi, was held at the airline’s counter in Bacolod over a single word on her plane ticket.
According to ABS-CBN Entertainment, the ticket was booked under “Maria Assunta,” while the actress’s name is written as “Ma. Assunta.” Jules and the rest of their group were already inside the PAL lounge when the problem surfaced, leaving Assunta behind at the counter to sort it out.
In an all-caps post on Threads, the lawmaker wrote, “Everyone knows Ma. and Maria are one and the same,” adding that it was already the second time his family had run into the same issue. He ended the post by asking what was going on with the airline.
PAL quickly replied to his post. “Dear Hon. Ledesma, we have gone through your booking and what happened at the Bacolod station. We are reviewing how our team handled your case. We understand how upsetting this was for you. We will be emailing you directly,” the flag carrier said.
Not everyone sided with the politician, though. As noted by Bilyonaryo, many netizens argued that whoever booked the flight should have matched the name to Assunta’s passport or government ID, especially since the same thing had happened before. One commenter even quoted the familiar booking reminder that the name on a ticket must exactly match the passenger’s ID.
Lawyers interviewed by PhilSTAR Life explained that the two forms are not automatically interchangeable in official transactions. Atty. Carlo John Pascual said the PSA birth certificate is the basis of a person’s registered name, while Atty. Chelsea Liao-Ariza noted that no ruling squarely holds that “Ma.” and “Maria” are always legally identical.
Jules, whose full name is Julio Ledesma IV, comes from the Ledesma family of San Carlos City, long known in Negros Occidental’s sugar industry. He married Assunta in civil rites in December 2002, followed by a church wedding in 2004. The couple welcomed their daughter Fiore in October 2020.
For many travelers, the episode serves as a simple reminder: a quick check of the name on a ticket can save a lot of stress at the airport.
