MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Sunday said greater focus on accountability and better management of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other air terminals—and not privatization of these facilities—will address deteriorating conditions in the country’s airports.
In a statement, Hontiveros said privatization of NAIA and other airports is not a “silver bullet” or the right prescription to the growing issue of failed services in our air terminals.
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“This is an issue of performance and accountability—services at the NAIA will not improve, even if the private sector will manage it, if there will be no reforms in the system of management of the NAIA and other airports in the country,” she continued.
The statement comes after talks of privatization of NAIA was again raised following a recent power outage that disrupted dozens of flight in the Philippines’ main air terminal.
The latest incident happened just months after the Philippine airspace shutdown after CNS/ATM (Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management) conked out due to a circuit breaker that shorted after the air traffic management system’s UPS failed.
Hontiveros, who has led Senate inquiries that uncovered trafficking scams at the airport, pointed out that there remains problems in privatized utilities such as water and power providers, and rail systems.
She also added that a study by the International Air Transport Association reported that five out of the six international airports rated best among the world are public owned and operated.
“The majority of the best airports in the world remain state owned. There are plenty of good practices in airport operations for us to emulate, if the government is indeed serious about fixing our airports,” Hontiveros continued.
The lawmaker insisted that the Malacañang and the Department of Transportation should instead work towards “ensuring clear lines of accountability and responsibility in relation to airport operations” and not rush towards privatization and deregulation.
Hontiveros also backed the call of House Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto and other officials for an immediate technical system audit of NAIA operations to identify and address weaknesses.
“If an audit will be conducted, we will know projects that need to be immediately funded for the improvement of services at the NAIA,” she added, as she pointed out that resorting to deregulating or privatizing NAIA will create a “dangerous and reckless” mindset that will lean towards allowing private corporations to takeover rather than demand better performance from public officials.
“Sometimes, there is no alternative to demanding that our public officials actually do their jobs well. This is one of those cases. We should demand more from our public officials and not encourage further complacency in the bureaucracy by bringing in the private sector everytime our public officials are unable or unwilling to do their jobs,” she added.
The Philippines airspace will again be shut down from midnight to 6 a.m. of May 17 to allow for the replacement of an uninterruptible power supply unit of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ air traffic management system. — Kristine Joy Patag