THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will be recommended for exemption from some government rules to allow it to offer more competitive pay for critical positions and improve overall efficiency, a Senate panel chair said on Monday.
Senator Mary Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, who heads the committee on public services, said their report on the investigation into the Jan. 1 airport system glitch will include recommendations on CAAP’s exemption from regulations on salary standardization and revenue spending for equipment and services.
The report will be released by next week, she said in a statement on Monday.
Ms. Poe-Llamanzares said there is also a suggestion to create another agency that will handle some of CAAP’s responsibilities.
“There’s a proposal to put up an airport authority just like the ports authority, so that CAAP will not be operating and doing the policies for running the airport at the same time,” she said.
The committee also sought for the speedy passage of a bill creating the National Transportation Safety Board, which will investigate air, highway, railroad, pipeline and maritime accidents.
The report will center on the panel’s findings into the cause of the incident, recommendations to remedy the system, and possible liabilities for negligence and incompetence in managing the system’s maintenance.
“There’s a confluence of factors that contributed to the glitch,” Ms. Poe-Llamanzares said.
“This is a long-standing problem with the CAAP because it spans several administrations,” she added. “The fact that it is allowed to operate without adhering to proper maintenance protocols is in itself a violation.” — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
