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By Francis Earl A. Cueto, Reporter
TRANSPORTATION and Communications Secretary
Leandro Mendoza said on Sunday that the Air Transportation Office (ATO)
can’t stand on its own as an agency, as he started work on
improving air safety standards in the Philippines.
He was made concurrent chief of that office
after President Gloria Arroyo fired Assistant Secretary Daniel
Dimagiba because the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
downgraded the air-safety ratings of the Philippines from Category 1
to Category 2. That places the Philippines at the same level as
Bangladesh, Cote D’Ivoire and other poor, war-ravaged countries.
The FAA said the country failed to comply with
the aviation standards set by the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations
created to promote safe and orderly development of
international civil aviation. Among the FAA’s concerns were
outdated aviation regulations, poor training programs for safety
inspectors, and sub-standard licensing for airframe and engine
inspectors.
The downgrade also affects Philippine Airlines
(PAL), the only Filipino airline that flies to the US. PAL said the
FAA downgrade prevents it from flying to new American cities or from
upgrading the type of aircraft used on existing US routes.
The US Embassy in Manila also warned American
nationals in the Philippines not to fly on Philippine planes because
of “serious concerns” about safety standards.
Travel groups such the Network of Independent
Travel Agencies, led by Chairman Robert Lim Joseph, are worried
their businesses would be affected by the downgrade.
Mendoza, who will lead a press briefing and flag
raising ceremonies at the Air Transportation Office in Pasay City
today, said the current capacity of ATO is limited compared to the
coverage and mandate of an air transportation authority with fiscal
autonomy that could fully enforce the aviation rules.
Mendoza said they are now pushing for the
enactment of a pending bill at Congress for the creation of a new
air transport authority.
In a statement Sunday, Mendoza said he is ready
to face the challenges of his assignment. President Arroyo gave him
a three-month deadline to regain the Category 1 rating.
Mendoza has organized a committee, which he will
chair, that will assist in addressing the concerns raised by the
FAA. The committee includes consultants from ICAO and experts from
the civil aviation industry, including the airlines and private
industries. Resource persons will also be invited to share their
expertise.
One problem that Mendoza has identified is the
lack of radars. The Air Transportation Office only has
three—located in Laoag, Cebu and Manila. The country needs five
more in strategic parts of Mindanao and Visayas.
Also, the Air Transportation Office needs
aircrafts to make a flight path for planes. It has been renting
planes from New Zealand to do this.
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