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The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines, Safe Travel Alliance, and International Air Transport Association are pressing Congress to reconsider and approve a bill creating the Philippine Transportation Safety Board
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The groups say the January 1 shutdown of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ air traffic control system “was a strong reminder of the need to pass [the PTSB] legislation”
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JFC has expressed its support for the bill in a letter to the Senate Public Services and House Transportation Committees, which are conducting hearings on the incident
The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC), Safe Travel Alliance (STA), and International Air Transport Association (IATA) are calling on Congress to approve the bill creating the Philippine Transportation Safety Board (PTSB).
The groups in a statement said the January 1 technical glitch that shut down the Philippines’ air traffic control system and grounded hundreds of flights to and from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other gateways “has brought air transportation safety – and transportation safety, in general – in the spotlight.” It was also a “strong reminder of the need to pass legislation” creating the PTSB, they said.
In a letter to the Senate Public Services and House Transportation Committees holding hearings on the January 1 incident, JFC said it supports the creation of the PTSB.
Bills have been refiled in both houses of Congress for the creation of the PTSB.
A similar bill creating the PTSB passed the previous Congress but was vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who said the functions intended for the proposed safety board are being undertaken by different agencies and creating the body will only cause “functional duplication.”
The stakeholders expressed optimism that the current Congress can refine the bill so the reasons cited for the veto can be addressed.
JFC noted all investigations on transportation accidents are undertaken by government agencies that have regulatory powers over the respective sectors of the transportation industry.
As most of these agencies are also tasked to regulate and/or operate the sector, there is inherent conflict of interest in performing their duties as investigating bodies.
The bills seek to create the PTSB, an independent and impartial transport safety body patterned after best practices in other countries that will address regulatory gaps in the transport safety bureaucracy.
The bill will also facilitate the enhancement of transportation safety measures and standards, and coordinate all actions of relevant public and private entities towards the common goal of ensuring transport safety.
Once enacted, the PTSB can commence its programs to prevent major transportation accidents that compromise the lives of the travelling public, JFC said.
Supporting members of JFC are the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines Inc., Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc.; and Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc.
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