The Senate public services committee chaired by Senator Grace Poe intends to conduct a hearing on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) systems glitch on January 12.
Poe said her committee could conduct hearings even during the current Christmas break of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
She emphasized that her committee is allowing the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to normalize airport operations before conducting the public hearing,
"By that time key executives should not have an excuse not to attend," stressed.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Poe "are constantly coordinating with these agencies concerned together with members of the Senate."
"We will conduct the committee hearing ASAP (as soon as possible) without affecting the normal operation of our airports)," he added.
In a related development, Senator Raffy Tulfo appealed to local airline companies to give special airfare rates to returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who dream of returning to their families after working abroad for so long.
Tulfo noted that the airfares for arriving and departing passengers have doubled because of the defective Communications, Navigation and Surveillance System for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) of rhe Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
This is the reason why many OFWs have delayed reunion with they loved ones during the Christmas and New Year celebrations, he pointed out.
Tulfo said the current one-way flight between Manila and Japan costs from P90,000 to P140,000, a price that OFWs could hardly shoulder because of their limited budgets.
The lawmaker appealed to the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to consider giving preferential pricing system for OFWs who are considered the country’s heroes.
“It would be unfair for our OFWs to absorb the fault or negligence of CAAP for the maintenance of their CNS/ATM system,’’ Tulfo said.
airline company that the office of Tuflo had talked to stated that the rise in the airfare is due to ‘’demand-based algorithm’’ that airlines use in increasing airfares.
“I stand with my colleagues, especially Senator Grace Poe and the Senate President Zubiri in initiating an investigation as to the breakdown of essential navigational and air traffic control systems,” Tulfo added.