Aviation officials on Wednesday underscored the need for a new airport to serve as a backup and even possible replacement for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport that is now operating at overcapacity.
At a hearing conducted by the House committee of transportation chaired by Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, Manuel Tamayo, Transport Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports, stressed the need for a new air gateway. “That is the direction of the air sector of the DOTr. I agree, we need a new gateway,” he told lawmakers.
Manila International Airport Authority general manager Ed Monreal shared a similar view.
“My solution here is), maybe it will take six to seven years, we really need to have a new airport,” he said when Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel asked for his thoughts on the embarrassing incident.
“It has been the talk many years…it is about time,” Monreal said. “There should be a minimum of two runways, parallel, apart from each other. That’s the most basic requirement,” he said, noting that Naia only has two runways that intersect with each other.
Naia’s capacity with its two runways is only 40 takeoffs and landings per hour.
For his part, Sarmiento, in his opening remarks said that “While there were no recorded fatalities, there were at least 631 flights that were either cancelled, diverted, or delayed.”
“There were 250,000 passengers affected,” Sarmiento added.
Pimentel then raised the San Miguel Corp.’s proposed international airport in Bulacan. He described it as a “very good solution” to the current airport woes.
“They [SMC] have 2,500 hectares of land in Bulacan. Their land area can accommodate four runways, and expandable to six runways. To the DOTr, can you not consider this proposal? I think this is a very good solution to the existing problem that we are experiencing in the operations of Naia,” said the Assistant Majority Leader.
Tamayo said that the unsolicited proposal of San Miguel has already been approved by Neda (National Economic and Development Authority) Board last April 25.
“Now after the submission of the revised concession agreement along with the risk allocation matrix, the Neda and the Department of Finance submitted comments on this and after we at the DOTr commenced negotiation with San Miguel to finalize the draft concession agreement and submit the same to Neda and finally the Swiss Challenge. [That’s what we’re expediting], ” Tamayo said.
Still, the lawmakers urged DOTr to fast-track the negotiations for the construction the alternate international airport in Bulacan.
Representatives Rodolfo Albano of Isabela, Gus Tambunting of Parañaque, John Aniceto Bertiz of ACTS-OFW Party-list and Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte made the call in the wake of the Xiamen airline incident. With Romeo Dizon
They also welcomed the assurance given by businessman Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation that its airport design team is taking into consideration the convenience of all travelers including millions of overseas Filipino workers.
Bertiz urged the Department of Transportation to fast-track negotiations with San Miguel Corp. for a new international airport to be built in the province of Bulacan. “San Miguel Corporation is offering to build a new international airport with the convenience and safety of our OFWs and all passengers in mind, at no cost to the Philippine government. They are taking all the risk, and all the government has to do is to approve the project. I wonder why this is taking too long?” Bertiz said.
The former OFW turned legislator vowed to raise this issue in the forthcoming budget hearings of the DoTr.
“I think our OFWs deserve to know what or who stands in the way of their dream to have a world-class international airport,” Bertiz said.
Albano said building an alternate international airport is in line with the administration’s Build Build Build program. “It is a fast-growing economy and the country needs it,” Albano said.
Tambunting, chairman of the House committee on games and amusements, shared a similar view. “I urge the government to study all possibilities to improve our airport system.”
“We are losing a lot of money with the missed opportunities caused by our poor infrastructure. Let us start looking at what we must do for our country’s future. Let us change our mindset. We have to start thinking of what we spend on our airport not as an expense but as an important investment for the future of our country,” Tambunting added.
“It is high time we build a new airport as the present NAIA can’t handle increasing passenger volume for OFWs and foreign tourists. Bulacan is an ideal site as it is just a stone’s throw away from Metro Manila,” Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said.
As this developed, concerned [assengers said Clark International Airport which is being promoted as the alternative national gateway of the country is becoming dangerous due to the presence of migratory birds that pose a serious hazard to passengers inside the airport.
A businessman who frequently uses the Clark airport has reported to the Clark International Airport Authority (CIAC) of his experience last week upon landing to CRK form Japan on board Jin Air.
Alfrito D Mah, president and chief operator officer of Patience Care Corporation (PCC) based here but with outlets nationwide, said that airport authorities should do something before an accident takes place in the area.
Mah, who treated his family and employees to a one week vacation to Japan after getting achieving their first-semester target, said that he was surprised to see several birds in the runway upon arriving at the CRK recently.
The birds, mostly foreign, look like hanging inside the airport because of rodents in the area.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that about 500 accidents occurred a year caused by birds in the different airports throughout the US mainland.
Mah said that “everybody knows that birds and airport do not mix together”.
“Birds are very dangerous to airports because they might be sitting by the engines especially during take off that might cause trouble,” he added
A frequent flyer with an average of two to three flights a month, Mah urged airport authorities to do something to solve the problem in order to protect passengers especially now that CRK it is being offered as an alternate major gateway of the country.
Conscientious airport authorities must have safety and conservation measures to minimize and potentially damaging and dangerous situations for the safety of the passengers, he said.
The Manila Standard tried to get the side of Alexander Cauguiran, president, and CEO of Clark International Airport Authority (CIAC) but his telephone was busy.
The Philippines especially the Candaba swamp in Pampanga, Clark and other places in Central Luzon are the haven to the migratory birds mostly coming from China, Japan, Siberia and other places of the world.
These long-distance fliers with different sizes and colors start to arrive in the country this September up to November to look for foods and temporarily habitat.
Clark, which is only a few kilometers away from Candaba, is also a favorite habitat of these migratory birds because of its grasses and other mammals like rodents. They, however, pose danger to the infant aviation industry of the Freeport including the safety of more than twenty airline companies operating in the airport.
Although these migratory birds pose aviation safety issues, they are blessings to the tourism industry of Pampanga as enthusiasts, birds lovers and watchers started flocking the area for the annual watching activities.