Senate wants say on ‘open skies’ agreement

The Senate and Malacañang are on a collision course over the so-called open skies arrangement contained in the 1982 Air Transport Agreement between the Philippines and the United States.

In a hearing yesterday on the agreement, Senators Manuel Villar Jr., Joker Arroyo, Ralph Recto, and Sergio Osmeña III were one in saying that Malacañang will have to submit the treaty and any amendment to be negotiated to the Senate for ratification.

Villar and Arroyo called the hearing as chairmen of the foreign relations committee and the public services committee, respectively.

Administration officials, on the other hand, insisted that the air service arrangement is an "executive agreement" and not an international treaty, and so does not require Senate ratification.

"We cannot allow the implementation of this lopsided agreement. It has to be submitted to the Senate for scrutiny as required by the Constitution," Villar told representatives of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Transportation and Communications and other agencies.

Recto said the executive department would be better advised to submit the RP-US air transport agreement to senators since it affects national interest.

"As far as I am concerned, this treaty prejudices local airlines, which cannot compete with the big US carriers, and the tens of thousands of workers and their families who are dependent on the local aviation industry," he said.

He added that he could not understand the obstinate refusal of Malacañang to present the treaty to the Senate.

Osmeña said if the open skies policy is enforced, American airlines will "kill" local carriers, including flag carrier Philippine Airlines, because US air passenger transport companies are heavily subsidized.

"The locals won’t stand a chance against the giant US airline companies," he said. — Jess Diaz