The Government Commission for GOCC (GCG) on Monday conducted onsite inspection of CAAP facilities in connection with the January 1 air management system issue.
The Government Commission for GOCC's (GCG) cited transparency of the country's aviation regulator during inspection at its Pasay City main office on air traffic issue.
Monday's onsite inspection is part of the evaluation process by GCG following the air management system fiasco that led to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) flights being cancelled, delayed, and diverted on New Year's Day.
Also, the GCG visit to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) facilities is to "ensure the functional operation and safe and reliable management of Philippine air navigation systems."
According to GCG officials, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the CAAP were very cooperative and transparent and willing to share all the information that the GCG wanted to know in providing information on the country's air traffic management.
"They are very open, very transparent. We were led to the entire process of it. From the Control Room, we went to the Equipment Room or the VSAT, so the entire facility was shown to us," GCG Commissioner Gideon Mortel said.
The two agencies, it said, are cooperative in sharing information about the January 1 incident, adding that DOTr and CAAP officials were provided the needed information vital to the GCG's investigation.
The CAAP said that DOTr Undersecretary for Aviation Roberto Lim and CAAP Director General Manuel Tamayo showed the GCG officials the facilities in the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center at the CAAP compound in Pasay City.
Usec Lim said the government aims to strengthen the country's air space and protect Filipino experts such as air traffic controllers and technicians.
"Our objective is to keep the Philippine sky safe, protect the careers of our experts so they are not subj3ect to poaching by other countries," Lim said.
CAAP air traffic controllers and technicians have never had internationally competitive salaries. Many of them went abroad due to handsome salary offered by other countries.
The major role of CAAP is for implementing policies on civil aviation in order to ensure safe, economical and efficient travel.
Tamayo, meanwhile, said CAAP's Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System undergoes regular and routine check, explaining that the January 1 incident was unfortunate.
"We didn't want to have this (technical glitch). It could happen anytime, anywhere in spite of maintenance procedure, in spite of proficiency and qualifications of our technicians," Tamayo explained.
The CNS/ATM system provides various computer-aided safety measures in Air Traffic Control (ATC), and enhances safety through reduction of controller/pilot workloads and human errors.
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