The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has launched the Get Airports Ready for Disaster Program in coordination with the United Nations Development Program, DHL Group, and the in-country supporter Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the GARD Program is a global public-private partnership aimed at supporting airports in planning for their role as logistical hubs in the event of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, fires, and landslides, as well as integrating the airport’s role in national emergency plans.
The program, launched in 60 airports in 28 countries, includes training personnel in handling the influx of goods and people during calamities, assisting authorities in relief operations, and assessing the current state of the airports concerned.
In the Philippines, the GARD Program was initially introduced in 2013 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. The second and third workshops were held at Mactan-Cebu International Airport in 2014 and Clark International Airport in 2022.
Apolonio added that CAAP is proud and grateful to have the Laguindingan Airport as the first CAAP airport to hold the workshop. CAAP has been coordinating with DHL on the workshop since 2016.
“In the future, we hope that exercises such as GARD can be echoed at other CAAP-operated airports around the country as well,” said CAAP director general Manuel Antonio Tamayo.
“We see the ever-growing importance of strengthening our airports’ resilience to disasters. Our airports serve as gateways crucial to the delivery of people, goods, and services, especially during emergencies and natural disasters,” he added.
At least 20 participants from the different units of Laguindingan Airport and attached agencies participated in the three-day workshop, where they learned the methodologies of GARD, from finding solutions to bottlenecks in airport logistics during disasters to airport assessment and report writing.
Established in 2009, GARD aims to echo the demand for airport preparedness and the response capacity of transportation hubs in the event of disasters.