THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is asking government to undertake reforms to immediately upgrade the Philippines’ aviation status.
The country’s aviation safety rating has been downgraded by the US in 2008 while the European Union blacklisted Philippine-registered carriers from flying to the Euro zone this year due to safety concerns.
“Noting that the findings of the international aviation organization resulted from government’s failure to create a technically-competent and efficient civil aviation authority in the country, the PCCI calls on the government to take the necessary reforms at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) primarily by professionalizing its ranks to ensure that the aviation body would regain international safety ratings,” PCCI Vice President for Service Angelito Colona said in a statement.
“For the country to regain the Category 1 status, CAAP, as the regulatory body on aviation, needs more qualified technical personnel to do oversight functions, particularly random inspections on Philippine carriers,” Colona said.
“If this issue will not be addressed immediately, it will curtail some of the gains of the tourism industry and create a negative image of the Philippines as an unsafe destination with untrustworthy facilities and infrastructure.”
PCCI is recommending the amendment of Republic Act 9497, the law which created CAAP, saying it needs private sector representation in the CAAP Board of Directors to provide sound leadership in the agency.
The CAAP is now hiring technical personnel for the Flight Standards Inspectorate Service as well grounding air operators not certified by December 1, 2010.
CAAP has also sought the assistance of the Civil Service Commission for the immediate approval of the Minimum Quality Standards for the needed technical staff.
