AS the Senate committee on public services opens today its investigation into the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) technical glitch that stranded thousands of travelers and affected hundreds of international and local flights, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri called for the sacking of transportation and aviation officials and personnel liable for the shutdown of the country’s airspace last January 1.
Zubiri said the fiasco, which affected more than 65,000 passengers and either cancelled or rescheduled more than 200 flights, was unacceptable as it put the country in bad light in the international community amid government efforts to boost Philippine tourism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked to comment on calls for officials of the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to take a leave of absence while investigations into the incident are ongoing, Zubiri said “heads should roll.”
“I cannot make a categorical statement at this point in time because I need to hear the facts tomorrow (Thursday), coming from the hearing… But definitely, heads should roll,” Zubiri said.
He said those in charge of power supply maintenance should be the center of the Senate investigation amid reports that there was a surge in electric power after the initial breakdown of the air transport management system.
“Yeah, heads will roll on the lower level. Sinong nagsaksak doon sa… from 280 (volts) to 350 (volts). ‘Yun ang unang-unang dapat tanggalin. Bobo naman nun ano. Kung totoo ‘yun ha…Di ba parang bumili ka ng appliance na 110 (volts) isasaksak mo sa 220 (volts outlet).
Eh sinong may kasalanan noon, eh di ‘yung nagsaksak sa 220 di ba? (Yeah, heads will roll on the lower level. Whoever plugged… from 280 (volts) to 350 (volts) must be the one who should be fired. That person is stupid, if reports are true. It is like, you bought an appliance that is 110 volts and plug it in a 220 volts outlet. Whose fault was it? It’s the one who plugged it in the 220 outlet),” he said.
He added: “We have to find out ano ba talaga nangyari (what really happened). Was it a crash of the system? Was it that explanation na (that) they connected it to higher power source? If they connected it to the higher power source, what kind of engineers are these people?… It all boils down to incompetence.”
Zubiri said he wants concerned air transportation officials to present to the Senate committee on public services a timeline of the New Year’s Day incident so senators can have a clearer picture of what really transpired.
“We have to know the timeline para malaman talaga nating mabuti sino ang nagkapalpak diyan (to determine who erred). Pasensiya na lang sinong tatamaan (I’m sorry for those who will be made accountable). But definitely, incompetence, stupidity… that person should pay. I mean that person should be punished or reprimanded at the very least,” he stressed.
Zubiri said he will likewise ask the armed forces and other concerned agencies if they have a contingency plan in case the country’s air traffic is again paralyzed, pointing out that the matter is a national security concern.
“Does the air force have their own backup system? Do they have their own programs for monitoring the skies? Because it will be, I would say, a mortal sin that if the civilian flights such as what happened on January 1 are cancelled or all those systems breakdown that our air force as well cannot fly. They should have a backup system where our air force can fly and protect our skies,” he said.
TRAVEL TAX
The Senate President said he will push for the approval of a measure which seeks to set aside portions of the travel tax paid by air passengers to be used as a contingency fund to compensate passengers who would be affected by similar incidents in the future.
At present, Zubiri said the travel tax goes to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
“One of the long-term solutions is we want to push for amendments on the travel tax, on the creation of (a) travel tax (fund)… P1,650 po ‘yan bawat pasahero na misan nai-incorporate na sa mga tickets na binibili or pamasahe na binibili nila sa airlines (That is P1,650 per passenger which is sometimes already incorporated on the cost of the tickets passengers buy),” he said.
The Senate committee on public services has invited officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), including former DOTr Secretay Arthur Tugade, Manila International Airport Authority and other concerned executives to the hearing to shed light on the NAIA fiasco.
Committee chairperson Sen. Grace Poe said the inquiry will focus on how to avert a similar incident that could compromise the safety of passengers.
