Some senators on Tuesday, January 3 rejected calls to privatize the operations of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Sen. Nancy Binay said the government should not privatize components of the country's national aviation system since it carries national security concerns.
"Linawin lang natin, magkaiba ang (Let's make it clear, there is a difference between) airport management and operations sa (from) air traffic operations. Hindi natin pwedeng i-privatize ang (We cannot privatize) components of national aviation system)," Binay said in a statement.
"I dont think we should allow private entities to handle critical government facilities that carry national security concerns. Non-negotiable yan, otherwise, that means reducing the government’s involvement and control of our airspace," she stressed.
But while privatization is already a trend in developed countries, Binay said it should only be considered in terms of commercial operations.
"As far as airport management and operations are concerned, we see improved services, upgaded amenities, and efficient operations," she said.
"We welcome privitization in terms of commercial operations within the airport complex, but we should not be entertaining private handling of air traffic because it impairs national security," the lawmaker stressed.
Sen. Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito also said he is against any proposal to privatize NAIA as being floated by some in the business sector saying it is not timely.
The senator also pointed out the development of other airports are already in progress.
He cited Clark International Airport as an example, which he said, can accommodate 10 million flight passengers annually.
"It can serve as a secondary airport to NAIA," Ejercito said in an interview on GMA News TV.
Ejercito also said the massive power outage that hit the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sunday, January 1, is a matter of national security concern.
Ejercito said the incident showed the vulnerability of the country's airspace and how it affected not only the nation's economy but the safety of passengers as well.
"It's a matter of national security. We were practically blind for several hours. We do not know whether or not there were other airplanes that entered into our airspace. This shouldn't have happened," he said.
Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go also said he believes it may be too early to consider that privatizing NAIA would solve the problem.
"This proposal needs to be thoroughly studied further taking all aspects into consideration," Go pointed out.
But Go said there is no doubt there is an urgent need to further enhance NAIA's equipment and facilities, "the gateway to our country for investors, tourists, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and travelers."
"That's why I support a Senate hearing on this incident, not to point dingers but to for us to figure out what can be done to improve airport services and prevent this from happening again," Go stressed.
As vice chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense, Go said he also believes that this incident has possibly huge national security implications.
"It appears that all it takes to paralyze the entire Philippine airspace is just one technical glitch," the senator said.