CAAP shouldn't punish Aviatours Flying School

Finally, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) through Deputy Director John Andrews told a Congressional Oversight Committee on CAAP that there was no foul play in the crash that took the lives of DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo, Capt. Jessup Bahinting and his Nepalese co-pilot Kshitiz Chand. With that said, it just makes me curious that CAAP refused to provide more details of this probe and instead asked for an executive session. It is during this executive session where the members of Congress are told those details and end up in the rumor mills… after all we know well enough that people just can’t keep secrets. 

Thanks to the rains last Saturday, I couldn’t play golf, so I went home to sleep and when I woke up, I tuned to ANC and it was Tina Monzon Palma’s show “Talkback” entitled “How can gov’t ensure the safety of light aircraft?” She had Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Technical Divers, Lt. Michael Duluan, Staff Sgt. Saturnino Cahilig and another diver who conducted the retrieval operations.

Later she had Director General William Hotchkiss III of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Vice-Admiral Edmund Tan PCG Commandant who explained to the audience about CAAP’s being a quasi-judicial body and that aircraft here have to pass the Minimum Required Annual Inspection (MRAI) and an Airworthiness Certificate (AC).

Though Tina admitted that she was talking with technical people and didn’t understand their technical jargon, she however asked the right question if anyone was charged in this crash? Someone replied that there could be punitive charges. Punitive charges? I personally know that Capt. Jessup Bahinting knows all the planes that he flies and that they are all air worthy. Sure the Piper Seneca II may have gone through the years, but airplanes with proper maintenance can fly for as long as its owners maintain it properly. The Seneca II had already gone through an engine change. This is the way airplanes are able to continue flying.

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed for my TV talkshow Capt. Thakuria “Capt. Raoul” Tirhankar, chief pilot for multi-engine aircraft of Aviatours who always flew the Piper Seneca II and he told me that up to that fateful Saturday when he was supposed to use that plane for a charter, it was flying very well. However when DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo asked Capt. Jessup to fly him to Naga, Capt. Jessup prepared his favorite plane, a Cessna 172 G1000. But when Robredo saw that it was a single engine plane, he asked for the twin engine Seneca II and Capt. Jessup instead asked Capt. Raoul to fly another plane. The rest is history.

So the question I would like to pose to CAAP officials is…if they now know that this crash was an accident, why then is CAAP still suspending the Aviatours flight school, which has nothing to do with the incident? Why should CAAP punish those foreign students who already paid their tuition fees? Could it be that certain personalities in CAAP are helping their favorite “suki” flight schools by suspending Aviatours so these students would be forced to move to these flight schools? I hope certainly not!

My son, Jesus Valeriano is a flying student in Aviatours and we’re waiting for CAAP to at least reopen their flight school. If at all, CAAP should stop Aviatours charter services because that’s what was involve in the Aug. 18 crash.

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I was in Manila last Sept. 5 to attend the 31st anniversary of SKAL International, in conjunction with the 22nd Tourism Personality Awards at the New World Hotel. SKAL stands for Sundeht (Health), Karlek (Love), Alder (Long life) and Lycka (Happiness) and it is a traditional toast when everyone shouts, Skal! SKAL international has been around since Aug. 29, 1980 and its objective is for the promotion of

 travel and tourism by undertaking the prestigious SKAL International Awards. Our good friend, Consul Robert “Bobby” Joseph is one of the founding fathers of SKAL International, Makati.

This year’s SKAL 22nd Personality Tourism Awards Hall of Fame went to Dr. Emilio Yap of Manila Bulletin. The New Captains of Industry SKAL Awards were led by Dr. Manny V. Pangilinan, Dr. Andrew Tan, and Mr. Henry “Big Boy” Sy, Jr. Our very own Star Group of Companies President Miguel Go Belmonte was awarded as Media Personality of the Year. In his response speech, he mentioned the Star columnists present… from me to Cito Beltran, Babes Romualdez and Ms. Cristine Dayrit as those who write about tourism. Indeed, the Star always comes up with great tourism reports.

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.