THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) is preparing for the possible closure of airports in a worst-case scenario as the country grapples to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
This developed as the DOTr has ordered the release of P10-billion dividends to the Department of Finance (DOF) by March 27 to help finance the government’s campaign against the COVID-19 as well as other government projects.
In a statement, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said he met with aviation sector officials where they mapped out contingency plans and did a scenario analysis to assure readiness of the DOTr in the event of worst-case situations such as stoppage of airline operations and closure of airports.
The meeting at the Civil Aviation Training Center in Pasay City, was attended by DOTr undersecretary for finance Garry de Guzman, assistant secretary for procurement and project implementation Giovanni Lopez, Civil Aeronautics Board executive director Carmelo Arcilla, assistant secretary for aviation Jaime Alberto Melo, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) director-general Capt. Jim Sydiongco, and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal.
Suspended operations
Local airlines have suspended all domestic flights and have limited international services for foreign and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
With the lifting of the 72-hour limit on overseas flights from Luzon, Philippine Airlines (PAL) said it will continue to operate limited international services to and from Manila from March 21 to April 1, 2020 to help Filipinos and foreign tourists return home and OFWs fly back to their places of work.
From March 20 to 31, PAL will suspend services between Manila and Auckland, Port Moresby, Melbourne, Taipei, Bali, Sapporo, Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Dubai. Flights to/from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia remain suspended.
PAL said the suspension of public transportation and other impediments to movement within and into Metro Manila, due to the ongoing community quarantine, have limited the manpower levels at Manila airport.
It said travel bans and restrictions imposed by various governments have forced the cancellation of some routes and significantly reduced actual travel between countries amid the COVID-19 situation.
“We will announce any plans for operating flights in the period from April 1 to April 12, based on developments related to the community quarantine,” PAL said.
Cebu Pacific which suspended the operation of both domestic and international flights from March 19 to April 14 has announced an extended travel fund and free rebooking for passengers until June 30, 2020.
Dividends
Meanwhile, Tugade said he has ordered its three attached agencies Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), CAAP and MIAA to remit a total of P10-billion dividends to the DOF by Friday.
Of the total P10-billion dividends, PPA is set to remit P4 billion while MIAA and CAAP will remit P3 billion each.
Extended `holidays’
Meanwhile, Tugade also instructed MIAA and CAAP to extend to airport concessionaires “rental holidays” for one month and a deferral of rental charges on the succeeding month to cover the enhanced community quarantine period, with further extensions if required, subject to regular monthly review.
Tugade said the rental holiday and the deferral of payment of rental charges for airport concessionaires are immediately executory.
