Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Wednesday, January 11 said government should be the one in control of public utilities that are considered vital to national security.
Ejercito made the remark as he opposed proposals that seek to privatize the country’s airport operations following the system glitch that hit the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on New Year’s Day.
“I think what opened during the fiasco should be an eye opener for us. But when we talk about utilities concerning national security, I’m still thinking that it should be under government control,” Ejercito said in an interview.
Ejercito warned that the NAIA—the country’s main international gateway—could suffer the same fate as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), a power transmission operator that was privatized in 2009.
The State Grid Corporation of China holds around 40 percent of the NGCP’s stakes.
“We know for a fact that we have a dispute with China. But with what happened at the airport, with one instance, it can paralyze the whole airspace system. Air traffic froze for several hours. So, with one flick, we can be paralyzed without electricity,” the senator said.
“We have to know what vessels or aircraft are entering our airspace, especially that we have a dispute right now,” he added.
Ejercito said he is open to proposals that seek to place NAIA under a public-private partnership, but maintaining and enforcing government oversight should be given priority.
“It would be more amenable for me to make it more professionalized and to ensure that operations are more efficient,” Ejercio said.
“But I think the government has to be there to oversee because again, I’m more concerned about national security,” he added.
More than 3,000 inbound and outbound flights throughout the country and around 65,000 international and domestic passengers were affected during the New Year’s Day system glitch.
The fiasco prompted lawmakers both at the Senate and House of Representatives to call for a congressional probe into the incident.
The Senate Committee on Public Services, chaired by Sen. Grace Poe, will hold its initial hearing on January 12, Thursday.