The recommendations of the Senate public services committee on the airports' air traffic system should serve as impetus to accelerate improvement of equipment and systems in the country's gateways, Senator Grace Poe said on Thursday, March 23.
The Senate approved the committee report on the New Year's Day airspace shutdown inquiry which Poe sponsored in plenary Wednesday.
"We trust our recommendations will not be swept under the rug. Transportation and airport officials should already be on top of the situation," Poe, committee chairperson, said.
She said her committee stated that a sustained assessment must be conducted and would ask them for developments.
The lady lawmaker said the public hearings revealed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines' (CAAP’s) lack of upkeep of communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS-ATM) system and other equipment.
Poe said there was no redundancy in the uninterrupted power supply that could function as backup in case of breakdowns.
The lack of personnel was also highlighted amid some employees' flight to higher-paying jobs.
Poe said it was also time for CAAP to consider focusing on its regulatory functions, saying it was "already overburdened" wearing two hats.
She said a separate body should be in charge of the airports' daily operations.
"Our proposal is for CAAP just to be the regulator and then for a separate body to be in charge of operation. In that way, CAAP can call out the operator if it is not doing its job properly," she added.