Senator Francis Tolentino on Thursday performed a video that confirmed just one worker was apparently at work on the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ (CAAP) station in Tagaytay on January 1, the day Philippine airspace shut down because of technical points on the CAAP’s Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) in Pasay City.
Before revealing the video throughout a Senate listening to on the matter, Tolentino requested Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and CAAP Director General Manuel Antonio Tamayo to not droop or sanction the CAAP worker proven.
“Baka bukas eh malipat na ito sa Tawi-Tawi airport. Baka magalit kayo, ‘wag naman po sana, tumulong lang po ‘yun. Do we agree to have that on the record with the presence of colleagues here na hindi siya tanggalin, administratively suspended, or transferred to another airport?” Tolentino requested Bautista and Tamayo.
“We agree sir,” Tamayo replied.
Tolentino stated that he was at Tagaytay City on New Year’s Day, explaining that it was Senator JV Ejercito who instructed him that there have been technical points that froze the nation’s airspace, affecting a whole lot of flights schedule to go away, arrive, or fly over the nation on January 1.
“My initial reaction was to send the chief of police in Tagaytay and all members of the PNP [Philippine National Police] Tagaytay: ‘Bantayan ninyo ang CAAP kung ano ang nangyayari roon. Report any abnormality kasi nagkakagulo na sa mga airports natin. Kung merong gustong pumasok huwag ninyong papasukin kung hindi authorized, kung merong nakikialam, tulungan ninyo ang sino ang mga tao sa CAAP and support them.’ ‘Yun po yung napagusapan namin ni Senator JV Ejercito,” he stated.
When the PNP Tagaytay police arrived on the CAAP station in Tagaytay, Tolentino stated, it was a “normal and relaxing” scenario.
“Alam ninyo po kung ilan ang tao doon, sa CAAP station ng Tagaytay? Isa, one solitary individual manning that station during the critical period in our aviation history. Isa lang siya, cool na cool siya, inom-inom lang ng mineral water… Naka-short pants lang siya, naka tsinelas, lakad-lakad… ‘Tinawagan na kayo ng CAAP Manila?’ ‘May text po na wala nang flights.’ ‘So ikaw, ano ang ginagawa mo?’ ‘Monitoring lang po ako dito’,” he stated.
Senator Grace Poe, in the meantime, stated that there ought to be at the least two folks throughout every shift, in order that there could be at the least one individual manning the operation if the opposite must take a break.
Another video confirmed the worker exterior the station, exhibiting the guests round.
“Walang security guard. Police na ho namin ‘yang paikot-ikot dyan. Iniwan na niya ‘yung loob, nag-tour na sa labas, iniwan na yung loob so wala nang tao doon. Baka tumatawag kayo; nasa labas po, kasalanan ko po ‘yon,” Tolentino stated.
“We have reached a high level of alert during the critical moment, nagde-detour na ‘yung mga eroplano, grounded na lahat, and yet we don’t have that state of emergency required to address a very critical situation involving that national security,” he added.
Tolentino then really helpful having a “more professional” alert system.
“Another friendly suggestion can we make this more professional level of alert. Is it orange, is it red, diba para automatic na alam na nila ‘yung gagawin nila, ang sasabihin nila, ‘Chief of police, tulungan ninyo kami, mag-deploy kayo sa labas para walang makapasok dito sa loob.’ Naalarma ako bakit isa lang tao dito,” he stated.
In his response, Tamayo stated that the CAAP was on “heightened alert” throughout the holidays, however vowed that they’ll have a look at staffing at their services.
“If we receive information like this, hindi naman ho pag-iinitan ‘yan, but we will look in all our facilities to make sure that whatever directive we give is followed. Isa pa po yung dapat may security guard, laging may security guard yung facilities natin so at saka bawal po magpapasok talaga, it is a restricted area,” he stated.
He additionally stated that they’ll overview their insurance policies.
“Dapat talaga ma-monitor natin ‘yan eh, you really don’t know what will happen, because during that situation, last January 1 ‘yan po ay very important to us, the Tagaytay facility, because that is a microwave facility and when we restored power at the CNS-ATM, ‘yan po yung unang tumulong sa amin sa communication,” he stated.
At least 282 flights have been canceled, diverted, or delayed on New Year’s Day because the CAAP recorded a technical situation on the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) at 9:50 a.m. Some 56,000 passengers have been affected on the NAIA. — BM, GMA Integrated News
