Bill seeks emergency powers for President to clear NAIA congestion

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ID-100323028 (1)A bill has been filed in the Upper House pushing for emergency powers for the Philippines’ Chief Executive to address air traffic congestion in Metro Manila skies.

Senate Bill (S.B.) No. 1067, otherwise known as the “Air Traffic Act,” proposes a two-year grant of emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte, effectively allowing him to make drastic reforms in air transportation by consolidating air traffic regulatory and management authorities.

It also aims to streamline procurement and eminent domain procedures to realize the speedy construction of key infrastructures, especially runways.

“At this point, the traffic in the skies is as bad as the traffic on our streets. Before, we only had road rage, but now we are seeing reports of ‘air rage’ as frustrated passengers lash out at our broken aviation sector. In the interest of passenger safety and sanity, we must give the President a free hand in bringing change to the dismal air traffic situation above Metro Manila,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who has filed the bill, said.

In the measure’s explanatory note, Gatchalian said the runways at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) can only accommodate an average of 36 takeoffs and landings per hour, compared to the overflowing schedule of commercial and general flights that often requires as many as 50 runway events per hour.

The strained capacity of NAIA’s runways has made flight delays and cancellations daily occurrences, Gatchalian noted, causing the International Air Transport Association to declare NAIA as a high-risk airport due to unresolved safety issues and poor infrastructure.

“The magnitude of the air traffic situation is alarming. All efforts must be directed to expedite the improvement of existing facilities, building of new infrastructure, use of new hubs outside of Metro Manila, and other urgent measures to address the air traffic emergency,” Gatchalian said.

To ensure that emergency powers are properly and effectively used, the Air Traffic Act calls for an oversight committee, to be composed of members of both houses of Congress, to whom the President must submit quarterly reports on actions taken under the provisions of the law.

The Senate Committee on Public Services has conducted two hearings on the proposed grant of emergency powers to address overall transportation and traffic woes in Metro Manila. Several bills seeking such special authority has already been filed in both houses of Congress.

During the first hearing, the Department of Transportation proposed several projects for NAIA that need special authority to implement, mostly because they require direct procurement.

These projects include installation of security systems; a reorganization plan to create plantilla positions for scanners and x-ray operators; civil works improvements (e.g., rapid exit taxiways, aprons); procurement of aeronautical/navigational equipment; and acquisition of communication and computer systems and software.

Also in the pipeline are programs to fast-track the transfer of general aviation operations out of NAIA; install equipment to make provincial airports night rated; and redistribute air traffic to Clark, Davao, and other developmental international air gateways in the country.

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