Press Release
August 29, 2018

TRANSCRIPT OF SENATOR GRACE POE'S OPENING STATEMENT
Public Services Hearing

Good morning. This hearing of your Senate committee on public services is now called to order. Your committee will consider two resolutions: Senate Resolutions 852 and 856 by this representation; and Sen. Nancy Binay on passenger concerns, effects on the delivery of basic public services and the Xiamen Air incident in NAIA. They shall be considered along with three other Senate resolutions: SRN 277 and 635 also by this representation and SRN 63 of Sen. JV Ejercito regarding the decongestion of NAIA runways and development of other alternative airports.

Para mailagay sa tamang perspektibo ang ating pagdinig ngayong araw, muli kong babanggitin ang mga importanteng detalye ng pagsadsad ng Xiamen Air Flight MF 8667 noong 11:55 p.m. ng Agosto 16:

Ang Boeing 737-800 na eroplano ng Xiamen ay dumulas sa main runway ng NAIA habang ito ay lumalapag. Tinamaan nito ang ilang runway lights, natanggal ang gulong nito sa may bandang nose landing gear, natanggal din ang main landing gear at ang kaliwang makina ng eroplano;

Ligtas naman ang 157 na pasahero nito at ang walong flight crew ng eroplano;

Tumagal ng 36 na oras o isa't kalahating araw ang pagkakasara ng main runway ng NAIA at ang talaan ng kanseladong flights ay umabot sa 631, ayon kay GM Monreal as of 2 p.m. ng August 20. Libu-libong pasahero ang naperhuwisyo sa ating paliparan;

Ayon sa MIAA, tinatayang P15,000,000 ang halaga ng nagasta sa pagtanggal ng eroplano, hindi pa po kasama ang mga cost dala ng kanselasyon at paglilipat ng mga flight;

Dalawang mobile boom cranes, na 500 tonelada ang bigat, ang kinailangan upang matanggal ang eroplano.

Saang anggulo man natin ito tingnan at kahit anong magagandang salita pa ang nais nating sabihin, may mga tiyak: ang insidenteng ito ay nagdulot ng pagbagal sa delivery ng basic public services ng bansa, sa ating airport, aeronautics at aviation; may matinding perhuwisyo ito sa bawat Pilipinong hindi nakabiyahe noong mga panahong iyon, sa mga OFWs na maaaring nawalan ng trabaho sa ibang bansa, o sa mga ina, ama, anak, kapatid o asawa na hindi nakauwi sa kanilang pamilya sa limitadong araw ng kanilang bakasyon; sa ekonomiya, turismo, edukasyon; sa mga non-aeronautical sa paliparan tulad ng mga retailers at trabahante; at sa mga simpleng mamamayan.

We shall be guided by the following main thrusts:

First, we will ask for the official timeline of the Xiamen incident, from the moment it landed until the runway was re-opened for flights. We will be able to see and analyze what could have been done better and faster. We would also want to know the amounts involved. In addition, it should be explained as to why was it possible for 61 uncoordinated flights to enter the Philippine airspace and land at NAIA during the Xiamen incident. The airport authorities, the DOTr and Xiamen Airlines shall be the ones accountable on this part.

Second, we will ask for the specific number of passengers of all the cancelled and diverted flights. How were they treated by their respective airlines? What did the airlines provide for them? Ang gobyerno, puwede bang magbigay ng tulong sa pagkain at iba pa? Were they properly informed as to the status of their flights? The private airlines or government shall be the ones accountable on this part and the passengers present shall confirm and verify everything. We are honored by the presence of the respected Sen. Serge Osmeña III to provide us good inputs on the matter at hand, having previously chaired the committee on public services.

Third, we look into the corresponding liabilities that might be attributable to Xiamen Airlines, the other private airlines, if warranted, and to our airport officials and DOTr officials. Dito sa parteng ito, pag-uusapan natin ang danyos perhuwisyo. Dapat ibigay sa tao at sa bansa ang nararapat.

Fourth, we will ask about the current status of NAIA, its runways and its terminals, and see to the structural and design capacity of NAIA. Malinaw at may kalalaan ang mga problema at kakulangan ng ating pangunahing paliparan, bakit hindi pa rin ito tinutugunan? Ang dami nang nagbibigay ng unsolicited bids, ano na ang mga status nito? Kailangan talagang sumagot ang DOTr at mga airport official sa kanilang plano at kung bakit tumagal ito ng halos tatlong taon para magkaroon tayo ng alternatibo.

We will hear from the academe and the experts as to their insights on what should have been done that could have avoided the incident or what could have been done to shorten the closure of our main runway after the incident. We will hear from them on what the effects are to our tourism, economy and right to travel, did the incident bring. To the students of aeronautics and aviation courses, we will hear from them their fresh learning and millennial voices as to what could be done moving forward.

Let this public hearing be the start of a discourse on improving airport administration, adopt policies that would not restrict choices and would not harm passengers, be humane in the enforcement of the Air Passenger Bill of Rights. A transparent and accurate dissemination of information may be relevant. Also, a special trend worldwide is loosening immigration checks on connecting travellers and some countries giving visa-free access for limited days, for tourism and enhancing the economy. Just study it; the Philippines might be able to compete better, especially when it comes to tourism.

Before I acknowledge our senators present, I'd like to state that in a larger picture, the committee takes notice that in the last few years, the global rules, guidelines and policies on airport, aviation and aeronautics have changed and the same should be reviewed and reassessed for the country. There are new superpowers and new kinds of travellers in the sector and we must be ready to compete and benefit from them. As a question for the government: how much support is given to these sectors of airport, aeronautics and aviation?

As a senator, I vow to fight for the rightful and reasonable funding of much-needed projects to improve the sorry state of our airports, the NAIA in particular. Together with the private sector, the government must look for the essentials and not those which can blind what is really going on in the country and to leap in approaches to help the Philippines as a whole.

Hindi lang po puro puna, kung ano rin po ang puwede nating gawin moving forward, ang ating tatalakayin ngayon.

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