It isn’t imponderable to point an accusing finger against transport or aviation authorities over what happened on New Year’s Day. The shutdown of Philippine airspace, reduced to a “no-flight zone,” graphically reflects a malfunctioning airport system and a dysfunctional bureaucracy.
Over 56,000 passengers and 300 flights were affected by what top management officials conveniently dismissed as a case of “power outage” or “technical glitch” that led to “air traffic management system failure.” In high-reliability systems like an international airport, at no given moment could there be a “system failure” lest it results in immeasurable opportunity costs or sets an alarm in our national security corridors.
Best described as a “theater of the absurd,” the utter lack of agency on the part of concerned transport and aviation officials to quickly recover from that unlikely system failure — totally disruptive of both ground and airborne operations — warrants the imposition of heavy sanctions to preclude recurrence. Beyond a serious breach of the Air Passengers Bill of Rights, it has just showcased the Philippines as the worst airport in the world.
It would be unfortunate if the Senate-initiated inquiry into this public interest nightmare ends up as an exercise in futility as it commandeers the role of the Governance Commission for GOCCs, under which both MIAA and CAAP belong. In fact, heads must roll as the thin veil of national security ought to have been pierced.
The claim that the air navigation system is “outdated” and the companion call for a “backup system” to be put in place are the stuff “inefficiency gospels” are made of. Turning these into a bureaucratic bogeyman is giving transparency and accountability a bad name.
How cavalier and too callous to dismiss this unlikely incident as the ghost in the machine or as cannon fodder for that “heinous” lapse of judgment in light of crippling opportunity losses? Whatever happened to “uninterrupted power supply” or “back-up redundancy” or “surge protector” escapes comprehension.
For the officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to present UPS as the “black box” is like putting blood in the water if not unadulteratedly not circumspect. Until a third-party expert determines the real cause, supposedly responsible bureaucrats run rings around us all albeit it’s more respectable that they resign.
Writings on the wall indicate a level of technical incompetence or negligence, both axiomatic and symptomatic of failed “forward planning.” What happened could not have been a problem of UPS and/or power redundancy failing to function in both respects nor that of the surge regulator being found wanting.
Just imagine how PAL canceled 220 flights affecting 30,000 passengers; Cebu Pacific called off 334 flights distressing 37,000 passengers; AirAsia Philippines aborted 44 flights afflicting 8,000 passengers; and so on. Worse, why are the “passengers’ rights” falling on deaf ears or the government turning a blind eye?
Sadly, this insane system breakdown could drive away tourists, showcase the Philippines on the global chart as one of the worst airports, prove how antiquated our air navigational system is, a looming power crisis, and a national security breach.
It bears watching how the eventual report would read. How it would come out is unlikely to be truthful enough given that all the reasons for the incident were already pre-empted by the officials of DoTr and CAAP themselves to be the evolving narrative.
The closure of the airport has also been articulated with a call for the privatization of such a critical public utility. But would the country be better off or worse off having it privatized?
The future of the airport is that of the country itself. While it could have been addressed by the Duterte administration, the present dispensation has to carry the cudgels.
Will the “operation and maintenance” of the airport be the areas to be privatized under which scheme all proceeds redound to the private proponent’s return on investment? It is important to take a careful look at every unsolicited proposal to the best advantage of the public interest.
Our airport, our embassy — raise our flag!