The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC), in support of recommendations contained in Senate Committee Report (CR) No. 39 on
the Air Traffic Management System glitch at the NAIA, call on Congress to pass much-needed air transport reform legislation.
In a statement Monday, March 13, the JFC said that CR No. 39 recommended, among others: amendment of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
(CAAP) charter to strengthen CAAP as an agency and to decouple its conflicting functions as regulator, operator, and investigator; and the passage of bills creating
the Philippine Transportation Safety Board (PTSB) and the Philippine Airports Authority to allow for more efficiency and transparency in the sector.
Senate and House Bills have already been filed and are pending in both chambers, with Senate Bill No. 1121 creating the PTSB sponsored
for plenary approval by Sen. Grace Poe on March 7. We urge relevant Committees in both chambers to conduct public hearings on the bills pending at the
committee level and for the Senate to commence deliberation on SB No. 1121 at the soonest possible time.
The incident at the NAIA, and the disruption it caused to air transportation throughout the country, is a strong reminder of the need to
pass laws to institute structural reforms in the air transport sector. The members of the JFC commend the Senate Committee on Public Services’ timely
issuance of the report under the chairmanship of Senator Poe and its recommendation of legislation that will align the Philippines with international
standards of transportation safety and security.
The members of the JFC – with other industry associations such as the Safe Travel Alliance, Air Carriers Association of the Philippines,
and the International Air Transport Association – have long advocated for these reforms and we are optimistic that with congressional, executive, and private
sector support, we will finally see their enactment in the 19th Congress.
The JFC is composed of American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Canadian
Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines,
European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc., Korean Chamber of
Commerce of the Philippines, Inc., and Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters, Inc.