NEWS BRIEFS: June 6, 2019

Glitch shuts down Manila airspace for 30 minutes

MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) is looking into the cause of the 30-minute computer glitch at its Air Traffic Management Center that led to the shutting down of Manila’s airspace and the delay of 81 flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“There were blind spots in our radars so we had to reboot the system. To avoid the possibility of midair collisions, we asked [flights] entering our airspace not to proceed yet while those already within were allowed to land in intervals and those still on the ground not allowed to fly,” said Eric Apolonio, spokesperson for the Caap.

The airspace was closed from 9:44 a.m. to 10:16 a.m., affecting 30 departures and 51 arrivals. —Jerome Aning

Senators sound alarm over influx of foreign workers

MANILA, Philippines — Senators have expressed alarm over the influx of foreign workers into the country, which, they said, posed a threat to national security.

Senators Joel Villanueva and Richard Gordon blamed corruption in the Bureau of Immigration and the labor sector for the entry of illegal foreign workers who “were taking jobs away from Filipinos.”

Gordon said: “We must condemn in this Senate this practice because it is dangerous to the nation, it is graft and corruption, it is untrammeled greed.”

He made the statement on Tuesday during his interpellation of Villanueva, who earlier delivered a privilege speech to reiterate his dismay over the unregulated entry of foreign workers into the country. —Melvin Gascon