Administrative nightmares

Just a week ago, no less than President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III led the celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) at its headquarters in Pasay City. It was most opportune for CAAP to celebrate its anniversary this year with the good news that the Philippines was being taken out of the watchlist that had been crippling our aviation business, not to mention our tourism industry.

The CAAP was born after the Philippines was downgraded from Category 1 to Category 2 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States. Because of this downgrade, airlines operating in the Philippines could not expand their flights to and from the US for the past five years.

Subsequently, the Canada-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) conducted in October 2009 an audit of the Philippine aviation standards and found significant safety concerns. Consequently, the European Union banned all Philippine aircraft from flying to their countries. Citing “serious and persistent non-compliance of Philippine civil aviation authorities in overseeing and checking of aircraft,” the EU ban has been imposed since March 2010.

So it was perfect timing indeed when the ICAO lifted the so-called significant safety concerns previously issued to the Philippines a few days before the CAAP marked its foundation day. CAAP director, retired Philippine Air Force commanding general William Hotchkiss III, reaped P-Noy’s praises and accolades “for a job well done.”

Under the leadership of Hotchkiss, the President cited the CAAP was able to install the Civil Aviation Safety Oversight Reporting and Tracking System as its main database management system. The CAAP also implemented the Minimum Required Annual Inspection for all air operators, and revalidated the Air Operators Certificate of five international operators and several other air taxi operators and domestic air operators. It also established the Certificate Management Department to help local carriers, such as Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific, to meet the standards of other countries and help them expand their routes.

In his speech at the CAAP anniversary, P-Noy though credited his administration’s reforms on governance that helped the Philippines regain the ICAO status. But as President Aquino himself pointed out, there’s more that needs to be done after the ICAO lifting of safety concerns.

“In the coming days, weeks, and months, all of us will be working towards getting our country off the watch lists of the United States and the European Union. So today, I also give you my marching orders: Let’s get this done,” the President told the CAAP gathering.

The presidential “marching orders” should get CAAP officials up on their feet to get the job done. It should not be a “mission impossible” for CAAP as Hotchkiss had already set the tone of his leadership.

But while they are focused to precisely do this presidential bidding, CAAP officials apparently have their sights trained higher that they fail to see little things happening below them. While apparently involving minor administrative matters, these constitute tiny cogs that make the bureaucracy work.

Take the case of ink and lamination supply at the CAAP. Would you believe that this non-availability of ink and lamination has been holding up the release of pilot license cards being processed by CAAP? This I gathered from complaints over the long delayed release of pilot license cards. After having passed the CAAP’s written, medical, and check ride tests, pilots expect the release of licenses, whether new or renewal, after some ten working days.

After administering the stringent tests and qualifying examinations, the CAAP should rise to the occasion and deliver the services required of them. Such unnecessary delays caused by a minor administrative lapse like running out of stock of ink and lamination for pilot license is most foul, to say the least.

There is much demand for pilots that even international airline firms try to pirate from each other. This is why many young men and women, not only here in the Philippines but elsewhere, have enrolled in flying schools. The Philippines is among the countries where most of these aspiring pilots enroll.

It would be understandable that CAAP should be strict in its screening of pilots before issuing them license.

In fact, just a few days ago, a light Cessna training plane got involved in a hard landing in Bulacan. The trainer plane, with Filipino pilot instructor and an Indonesian student pilot, ditched their six-seater aircraft in the grass field near the Plaridel airstrip. Fortunately, both of them escaped unhurt while the propeller of the plane got busted. CAAP suspended the operations of the La Union-based aviation school pending investigation of the incident.

Whether small or big planes, the CAAP has to do its job of ensuring safety of air travel from supervision of pilots to aircraft, including safety at airports. As of this writing, CAAP has been trying to attend to the problems of cancelled flights in Cagayan de Oro. The CAAP has ordered all commercial and private airline operations to move out of the old Lumbia airport. Starting at the end of this month, all airline operations are transferred to the new Laguindingan International Airport (LIA).

Unfortunately, certain administrative nightmares could also contribute problems rather than help enhance the effectiveness of the agency’s leadership. CAAP is a key player in the Aquino administration’s “More Fun in the Philippines” tourism program, if it gets its act together.