Gov’t downplays failure to get air safety upgrade

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Tourism (DOT) still sees more foreign tourists coming to the country despite the failure of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to get a status upgrade.

Tourism Assistant Secretary and DOT spokesman Benito Bengzon said the CAAP rating is unlikely to stop foreign tourists from visiting the Philippines.

“The failure (of CAAP) to obtain Category 1 rating does not in any major way affect the efforts of the DOT to attract foreign visitors,”Bengzon told The STAR.

He noted that the Philippines had been under Category 2 for the past few years and yet it continued to post an annual increase in tourist arrivals.

“We still managed to register more than 11 percent growth in foreign visitor arrivals in 2011,”he said.

The tourism official said in the first nine months of the year, the DOT recorded a nine percent growth in foreign arrivals.

“The increasing level of awareness on the Philippines as a competitive and must-experience destination has helped drive up the numbers despite the current rating,”Bengzon said.

Despite failure to get an upgrade, Bengzon gave assurance that concerned government agencies continue to exert efforts to address the country’s aviation problems.

“We are confident that we will soon be able to address the remaining aviation concerns,” Bengzon said.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reportedly gave CAAP a failed rating in “registration and flight safety inspection.”

These two “significant safety concerns” have dashed hopes for an upgrade to Category 1 status for the country’s aviation industry.

Earlier, sources told The STAR that after a 10-day evaluation, the ICAO team gave CAAP a failing mark in “registration and flight safety inspection.”

Sources said the ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission told CAAP of its assessment in an exit briefing Wednesday.

Team leader Henry Gourdji said an official statement would be sent to CAAP in 15 days.

Comprising his team were Jean Claude Waffo and Sekhat Natarjan Chandr, tasked with evaluating aerodome ground airfield facilities; Allan Tang, licensing; Vincent Lambottea, operations; and Amal Hewawasam and Kong Cheong, airworthiness.

In 2007, ICAO downgraded the then Air Transportation Office (ATO) from Category 1 to Category 2 status after finding 89 “safety concerns”during inspection.

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) earlier said only two of the 22 items identified by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) as safety concerns remain unresolved.

These are the lack of qualified safety personnel and the absence of an integrated IT system to modernize the sector’s database.

ICAO’s downgrading of the country’s aviation industry had prompted a congressional review of ATO’s mandate, which led to the enactment of Republic Act 9497, replacing ATO with CAAP.

Current CAAP chief retired Lt. Gen. William Hotchkiss aired his wish for a Category 1 status upon assuming his post in June this year.

“Hopefully, we might have some good news by Christmas time (although) I cannot say outright whether we will get into Category 1,” Hotchkiss had said.

As the ICAO team concluded its evaluation, nine international and three domestic flights bound for Ninoy Aquino International Airport were diverted Wednesday to Clark Airport in Pampanga after NAIA’s VOR (very high frequency omni-directional range/distance measuring equipment) bogged down for five hours.

Early this year, the government  declared it was determined to regain Category 1 status after the FAA downgraded the Philippines to Category 2 in 2008 which affected the country’s tourism.

The FAA cited significant regulatory, oversight and management shortcomings that prevented expansion of air service to the US.

Later, the country was placed under ICAO’s Universal Oversight Audit Program and on the European Union’s blacklist in 2009.