Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate adopted on Wednesday a committee report recommending that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) let go of its role of operating airports and focus solely focus on regulating aviation.
At the plenary session, the upper chamber adopted and approved with no amendments the findings and recommendations of the committee on public services in its inquiry into the New Year’s Day air traffic system shutdown that affected at least 65,000 travelers, and canceled, delayed or diverted some 600 flights.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III asked panel chair Sen. Grace Poe about the expected gains from one of the proposed legislative actions in the report, which urges Congress to pass a law separating the functions of CAAP as an airport regulator and operator through the Philippine Airports Authority Act.
Poe said CAAP was “already overburdened” by wearing two hats.
“So, our proposal is for CAAP just to be the regulator and for a separate body to be in charge of operations. In that way, CAAP can call out the operator if they’re not doing their jobs properly. Because right now, CAAP is calling out themselves which, as we know, took a while for them to communicate to the public that they’ve dropped the ball,” she said partly in Filipino.
Pimentel had also questioned why the panel did not recommend charges against anyone for the air traffic fiasco.
Poe said the probe focused on pinning down the cause of the air system shutdown and drafting recommendations to fix it.
But she noted that the report had likewise mentioned that the Department of Transportation (DOTr), together with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the National Security Council, would conduct an investigation to hold the people responsible for the air traffic chaos to account.
Poe said this is also the reason why the committee is urging Congress to pass a law creating an independent Philippine Transportation Safety Board tasked to study transportation safety and probe land, sea, air, and rail accidents and incidents.
“We also saw here that it isn’t just the DOTr leaders in the current administration but also those in the previous administration who should be held liable,” she further noted.
Poe said the results of the inquiry would have “a greater impact” once the Senate receives an update from the DOTr on who it found responsible for the air traffic mess.
“In that case, when they see that there’s actually a penalty or there’s a consequence for their irresponsibility or incompetence then, hopefully, that would deter others,” she said.
Pimentel said this means that, even with an approved committee report, the crippling failure of the air traffic control system that kickstarted the new year remains an unclosed book.
“My pending request is only for the committee to monitor what has happened and what CAAP will do with its administrative investigation,” he said.