The army needs to be allowed to come back to assistance from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in occasions of regarding conditions such because the air site visitors system glitch final January 1, 2023 that briefly halted flights and stranded 1000’s of passengers, the nation’s high safety adviser mentioned.
During the Senate listening to Thursday on the Ninoy Aquino International Airport fisaco, National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos mentioned she requested former Department of National Defense (DND) officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr. why the army can not assistance on points regarding civil aviation.
“Tinanong ko si OIC (Jose) Faustino (Jr.), bakit hindi natulungan ang civil aviation? Alam ko ang military kasi because I also came from military 12 years ago. Ang sabi niya walang MOU (memorandum of understanding). Pwede silang tumulong pero walang legal framework for the military na dapat isipin natin ito,” Carlos mentioned.
“Sinabi ko na rin ito kay secretary Faustino noon na isipin natin ‘yan push natin yan from even in national security perspective na pag na-compromise ang civil aviation gusto ko mag-kick in ang military,” she added.
The NSA adviser additionally urged the Senate to look intently into the “national security concern.”
“I would like the Senate to please pay particular attention for this national security concern, napaka-serious po nito hindi lang sa commerce natin, sa trade, napaka-serious sa human lives,” she mentioned.
Carlos mentioned the NSA and National Security Council (NSC) had been “quite concerned” in regards to the state of affairs that affected a number of passengers as a result of flight disruption at NAIA.
“The NSA and NSC are really quite concerned about this happening because it has tremendous and very serious national security implications. It affects our country, we are selling the country as a tourist spot tapos pag may ganito talagang lubak na malaki eh,” Carlos mentioned.
“Bakit siya national security threat kasi meron siyang karugtong sa employment, meron siyang karugtong sa confidence ng tao hindi lang employment, investment kahit ikaw local investor foreign investor magdadalawang isip ka. Mag-invest ba ako dito na nagpaparalyze itong civil aviation,” she added.
Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) if it has conducted a vulnerability test on the CAAP system.
DICT director Maria Victoria Castro said the agency is already coordinating with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and CAAP on the incident.
“We already began that as early as final week instantly a day after it occurred nonetheless as a result of its after the very fact in order that’s why it is taking someday its forensic investigation already,” she mentioned.
Gatchalian additionally requested CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo to provoke a proper investigation on the doable cyberattack.
At least 282 flights had been canceled, diverted, or delayed on New Year’s Day because the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) recorded a technical challenge on the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) at 9:50 a.m. Some 56,000 passengers had been affected on the NAIA.
GMA News Online sought the response of Armed Forces of the Philippine spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar and Faustino, who has since resigned, and can publish it with the story as quickly as they’ve responded.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
