House looks into NAIA power trouble
A solon asked the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to submit to the House of Representatives its electrical maintenance records and plans for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)
This is to determine if regular checks were made that could have prevented the recent power outages at the country’s premier gateway, Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Brian Raymund Yamsuan asid.
According to Yamsuan, while Congress would be more than willing to assist the MIAA in improving NAIA’s equipment and facilities, it was regrettable that the agency appears to be insensitive to the welfare of thousands of airline passengers inconvenienced by the crippling power outages that occurred during the peak travel seasons of January 1 and May 1 of this year.
“Meron ba kayong maintenance schedule, especially para doon sa critical facilities? Per quarter ba ‘yan, monthly ba ‘yan, ano yung maintenance schedule ‘nyo diyan (Do you have a maintenance schedule, especially for the critical facilities? Is it done per quarter, monthly? What’s your maintenance schedule?),” Yamsuan asked MIAA Officer-in-Charge Bryan Co during the hearing of the House committee on transportation.
“Kasi kung wala kayong plano, gaya ng nasabi ni Cong. (Rodante) Marcoleta at Cong. (Salvador) Pleyto, paano natin maa-assure na okay lahat ng ginagawa ‘nyo sa mga areas na dapat ninyong tingnan? (Because if you do not have a plan, how can you assure, like what Cong. Marcoleta and Cong. Pleyto, pointed out, that what you are doing is sufficient in the areas that you need to check?),” Yamsuan said.
The panel, chaired by Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, is conducting a moto propio inquiry into the power outage that happened at the NAIA Terminal 3 last Labor Day, which affected more than 9,000 passengers. The committee had earlier held a probe into the power outage that shut down the country’s airspace on New Year’s Day, which stranded around 65,000 passengers and grounded over 300 flights.
Yamsuan, who was among those affected during the New Year power shutdown, said he personally witnessed the sorry plight of thousands of passengers inconvenienced by the incident.
“I think that it’s crucial for you to really take serious thought on all the things that you need to see to find out the problems in your agency,” Yamsuan told Co.
Upon Yamsuan’s questioning, the panel learned from Co that MIAA officials were briefed by their predecessors on the problems facing NAIA. Co said this was the reason why the current MIAA leadership has been initiating the procurement of vital facilities and systems since last year.
Co also informed the committee that the MIAA has a maintenance program in place and is currently conducting an audit on NAIA’s facilities to determine the best practices that should be put in place to ensure the airport’s seamless operation.
