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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Ejercito on NAIA fiasco: 'Heads must roll; PH air traffic control system not outdated'

Ejercito on NAIA fiasco: 'Heads must roll; PH air traffic control system not outdated'

Published Jan 10, 2023 01:11 pm

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Tuesday, January 10 said officials who would be found responsible for the system glitch that hit the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on New Year’s Day should be held accountable.

Ejercito made the call ahead of the Senate Committee on Public Services’ hearing on the aviation mess on Thursday, January 12.

The senator noted that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is basically in charge of the operations of the air traffic management system.

“I would want to find out first what really happened, if it's command responsibility, if it's CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) or whatever agency is really remiss or found negligent then some heads really had to roll,” Ejercito said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.

Ejercito also said that during the launching of the Metro Manila Subway Project’s Tunnel Boring Machine with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had also assured senators that NAIA’s current air traffic system is not outdated.

“They told me that they were also the ones who financed the air traffic management system that came into operation in 2019 and they said that it’s not outdated,” the lawmaker pointed out.

“The systems can be updated from time to time until a new system or ATMS comes into place...just like in any computers, in can be updated periodically, and I think the system already makes use of the new satellite to monitor planes..the aircrafts are now equipped with responders, so they emit signals, the satellite sends back to the ATMS,” he explained.

“So it’s not anymore based on the ground radar, or the old system. That’s what I know. So that’s not outdated,” he further said.

CAAP, he also said, has sufficient funds to use to augment any needed upgrade or systems improvement.

“Yes, they have because CAAP is a GOCC (government owned and controlled corporation)...they have financial autonomy,” Ejercito also stated.

The senator also reiterated that Congress gave in to all the requests the CAAP made during the budget deliberations.

“So I cannot really understand why the main air traffic management system in NAIA would be the one to fail,” he stressed.

The fiasco, which affected nearly 65,000 passengers, forced nearly 300 flights to be canceled, delayed or diverted, should never happen again, Ejercito reiterated.

“In the aviation industry, there’s no room for error because it can be catastrophic,” he said.

“The air traffic management system that’s in charge of communication, navigation, and surveillance has to be working 100 percent all the time because it concerns air traffic safety and also national security,” the vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services emphasized.

Related Tags

jv ejercito air traffic management system technical glitch NAIA flight disruption
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