A welcome upgrade

No less than the American ambassador to the Philippines delivered the good news via his official Twitter account, that the country has been given a Category 1 safety rating by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). This means that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has complied with all the standards set by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization regarding safety and maintenance. What this translates to is more flights can now be added to the US, along with more destinations. Other carriers may now apply for routes to the US.

This is definitely good news for the country. Not only will it boost tourism, but the convenience of having more carriers to more destinations such as New York and Chicago will greatly benefit many Filipinos and tourists alike. There won't be any more need to transfer to connecting flights, or taking flights of other airlines, thereby minimizing the chances of missed flights, or horror of horrors, lost luggage.

The country's aviation industry has always prided itself with a good, even stellar safety record. Which is why when the downgrade to a Category 2 was given in 2008, the industry suffered a minor setback. With the new status upgrade, even flights to Europe may be possible in the future as they will also take notice of the upgrade. The Philippines will become more accessible to the world, and vice versa.

We have good pilots and good maintenance personnel, as shown by foreign carriers hiring many Filipinos among their flight crews and ground personnel. This would be a good opportunity to keep our skilled workers here. This would be a good opportunity to keep our countrymen home. In light of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines MH370 which to this day has not yet been found, this safety upgrade is a big boost to the aviation industry. Not to mention more carriers being allowed to ply routes to the US, giving more choices to passengers thereby lowering airfares. Very good news indeed.

The DOTC has a lot to be happy about the safety upgrade. The agency has been beset with several issues hounding it such as the MRT upgrade. With aviation getting the upgrade, let us hope that the MRT/LRT are next to get an upgrade. An infrastructure upgrade, that is. It is unthinkable for the MRT to bog down, as we have experienced the past weeks. People can no longer do without the trains. They need the upgrades to push through, if possible earlier than the projected date of 2016. By that time, who knows where the project will be at. Hopefully continued by those who have started it.