MANILA – Sen. Grace Poe sought an inquiry into a recent runway accident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport that resulted in the delay of the flights of thousands of passengers.
Airport authorities must explain why it took about 36 hours to remove a Chinese plane from the tarmac after it slid off the runway on Friday, said the public services committee chair.
Her committee will look into the operational procedures in responding to such emergency situations, Poe said in Senate Resolution 852.
“Aviation plays a central role in supporting tourism, creating employment and increasing economic activity,” read part of the resolution.
“An efficient airport system, including one that ensures swift response to emergency situations such as the recent runway mishap, must be in place already.”
Sen. Francis Pangilinan called on airport officials and other related government agencies to address the aftermath.
“Special mention for our leaving or arriving overseas Filipino workers who may have to pay for the delay in terms of visa fees, foregone work days, or even cancelled job contracts,” Pangilinan said.
For his part Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III reiterated his call to develop other air transport hubs like the Clark International Airport to decongest the NAIA.
“We require two airports as our main international gateways. The NAIA can serve south Metro Manila and Southern Luzon to Bicol, and Clark can address the needs of passengers from North Metro Manila and Northern Philippines. Both hubs may share handling of travel and logistics flow to the Visayas and Mindanao,” Pimentel explained.
Clark could also service “flight transfers of international passengers, such as our OFWs, who need to go home to their families in the Visayas and Mindanao,” he added./PN
