Senator Grace Poe said recommendations made by the Senate public services committee on the air traffic system conditions of the country’s airports should serve as impetus to accelerate improvement of equipment and systems in the country’s gateways.
Senators approved the panel report on the New Year’s Day Philippine airspace shutdown inquiry which Poe sponsored in the plenary.
“We trust our recommendations will not be swept under the rug. Transportation and airport officials should already be on top of the situation,” the chairperson of the committee said.
“A sustained assessment must be conducted and we will ask them for development.”
“We stated that a sustained assessment must be conducted and we will ask them for development,” the veteran legislator added.
The seasoned lawmaker said the public hearings revealed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ (CAAP) lack of upkeep of communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS-ATM) system and other equipment.
The lady senator said there was no redundancy in the uninterrupted power supply that could function as backup in case of breakdowns.
The lack of personnel was also highlighted amid some employees’ flight to higher-paying jobs.
“Pasilidad, personnel at proseso — itong tatlong bagay na ito ang ating pagtutuunan,” she noted.
Poe said it was also time for CAAP to consider focusing on its regulatory functions, saying it was “already overburdened” by wearing two hats.
“A separate body should be in charge of the airports’ daily operations.”
She said a separate body should be in charge of the airports’ daily operations.
“Our proposal is for CAAP just to be the regulator and then for a separate body to be in charge of operation. In that way, CAAP can call out the operator if it is not doing its job properly,” Poe concluded.
