Animals on Caticlan runway looked into

MANILA, Philippines – Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Leandro Mendoza has ordered a study of the concern raised by Marikina Rep. Del de Guzman on stray animals entering the Caticlan airport in Aklan due to the removal of the perimeter fences at the end of the airport’s runway.

Thompson Lantion, DOTC Undersecretary for Maritime Transport, said Mendoza has tasked the Office of Transportation Security (OTS) headed by Cecilio Penilla and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to look into the concern of De Guzman.

“A review has been ordered on the security setup there in Caticlan airport,” Lantion told The STAR.

Lantion said the review would look into possible measures, including round-the-clock patrols, that could be put in place to prevent animals from straying into the airport runway, endangering the lives of passengers and flight crew.

He said the probe would also look into the setting up of perimeter fences at the end of the runway to replace those that have been removed.

De Guzman had demanded the removal of CAAP director general Ruben Ciron from his post for allowing the removal of the perimeter fences at the Caticlan airport.

De Guzman, House committee vice chairman on tourism, was informed by foreign tourists who visited Boracay that visitors to the island observed the presence of animals on the runway when their plane landed at the Caticlan airport last weekend.

Last July, flights of major carriers to Caticlan, the main airport servicing the popular resort island of Boracay, were suspended after successive accidents due to miscalculation in landing.  

Studies made by aerodrome on the runway’s configuration confirmed that the current design of the Caticlan runway poses a hazard to aircraft operations. – Rainier Allan Ronda