Senate to summon Tugade, Xiamen Air executives over runway incident 

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Xiamen Air representatives will be summoned to a Senate hearing on the runway mishap last week, Senator Grace Poe said on Monday.

Poe said Tugade, other airport officials, and airline representatives could shed light on what happened at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Thursday night.

“Siyempre nais nating magpaliwanag ang awtoridad ng airport pero hindi lamang ‘yun, kasama na din diyan ang Xiamen Airlines mismo, ano ba ang nangyari at ano din ang kanilang liability sa atin? (We want the authorities and Xiamen Air officials to explain what really happened so we can also determine their liability)” Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, told reporters.

READ: Dozens of flights affected as plane skids off rain-soaked Naia runway

“Kasi alam mo, napakalaking gastos niyan, hindi lamang sa gobyerno natin, kundi ang mga ibang airlines din doon. Kailangan talagang may managot dito (As you know, that’s a huge expense, not just for the government but for the other airlines there. Somebody should be held responsible for this financially),” she said.

The senator said she would also invite the head of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) at the Senate hearing set for August 29.

Poe cited Pagcor’s proposal to build another runway at the airport instead of just establishing a casino area.

“May proposal na ang lupa ng Nayong Pilipino, imbes na gawing casino, ay puwedeng gawing isa pang runway para sa airport. Kung ito ba ay totoo, o ito ba ay isang pagaaral na maaari nating gawin kasi malaking tulong ‘yan para mabawasan ang kasikipan at delay sa airport (There’s a proposal to build a runway at the Nayong Pilipino property instead of just building a casino. If this is feasible, this would be a big help to decongest the airport),” Poe said.

When asked if she would summon Tugade and other airport and Pagcor officials, Poe said: “Definitely ‘yung Pagcor muna para malaman din doon sa Nayong Pilipino ‘yung area na ‘yun, at ‘yung Nayong Pilipino Board (Definitely, so Pagcor and the Nayong Pilipino Board would know).”

Poe dubbed the Xiamen Air incident a “jolting wake-up call” as she filed a resolution to conduct an investigation regarding the matter on Monday morning. /ee

READ: Poe seeks ‘full-blown’ probe on Naia runway incident