If San Jose del Monte City lone district Rep. Florida "Rida" Robes would have her way, she would ask the head of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to resign over the disastrous Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) power outage that pestered some 65,000 passengers.
"Kung ako po ang tatanungin mo, kung sa aking parte sa aking good government , eh siguro po eh mag-resign (If you will ask me, on the part of my good government panel, I guess I would ask for a resignation)," Robes told House of Representatives reporters in an interview Thursday, Jan. 5.
"Pero dahil binibigyan ko pa rin sila ng benefit of the doubt, yung mga nandoon, gusto ko silang marining kaya po gusto naming mag-hold ng briefing (But I'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt, the people there, I want to hear their side that's why we want to hold a briefing)," she said.
Robes chairs the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. He is also a member of the Committee on Transportation, which, incidentally, has scheduled a briefing on the New Year’s day airport glitch on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Asked who she wanted to see resign over the incident, Robes answered, "Si CAAP mismo (CAAP itself)," which she later clarified as the head of CAAP.
The agency is headed by Acting Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo. The lady solon didn't mention Tamayo's name in the interview.
"Kasi command responsibility niya lahat yan eh (That's his command responsibility)...ulitin ko (I repeat), public office is a public trust. Dapat may integridad, may transparency, may efficiency lalo na kung yung tatamaan ay yung mahihirap nating kababayan (There should be integrity, transparency, and efficiency especially if it's our poor countrymen who will be affected)," she said.
Robes slammed the CAAP official for failing to foresee the disastrous chain of events, which began with the power outage at the NAIA on Jan. 1. Over 300 flights were either cancelled, delayed, or diverted as a result of the technical issue.
"Alam nila na holiday, alam nila na maraming nagbakasyon, alam nila na maraming uuwi, maraming OFWs na nandyan sa buong mundo. Hindi nila naisip ito (They knew this is the holidays, they knew that many were on vacation, they knew many were on their way home, there were many OFWs. These didn't cross their minds)," she said.
"At yung mga sinasabi nila na mayroon daw back-up , I don't think so na mayroon and I don't think so nagamit nang mabuti yung pondo (As for their claim of a back-up system, I don't think there is one and I don't think they used their funds properly)," Robes said.
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Earlier, the House leader said that she wants to know from officials of the Department of Transportation and Railways (DOTR) how the new CNS/ATM System loaned from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) malfunctioned despite its inauguration a mere five years ago on Jan. 16, 2018. She noted that the system also enjoyed local funding from the government.
Robes, who was among those affected by the glitch, observed that there was also a lack of coordination between CAAP and/or the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) with the airlines.
She also noted a lack of concern for passengers aboard budget airlines as well as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who needed to get back to work abroad.
In a House resolution seeking a full-blown inquiry on the incident, Robes stated that there should be foresight in predicting situations such as the power outage.
"This is what the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability wants to know - accountability. Where did it all go wrong and was this really a ‘force majeure’ or an act of man resulting from negligence and whose negligence?" she asked.