Airport privatization no silver bullet to transport woes – Hontiveros

MANILA, Philippines — The privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other airports will not be a “silver bullet” that will solve the deteriorating conditions in the country’s gateways, and the government should instead focus on greater accountability and better management of the facilities, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said yesterday.

Hontiveros aired her warning after several administration officials and lawmakers had expressed their support for the privatization of NAIA operations in the wake of a recent power outage that disrupted dozens of flights at the country’s main international gateway.

“Privatization is not the silver bullet or the correct prescription for the worsening problem of bad service in our airports,” she said in a statement.

“This is an issue of performance and accountability – services will not improve at the NAIA even if the private sector will run it if there are no reforms when it comes to systems in NAIA and other airports in the country,” she added.

A private sector takeover of public utilities like airports does not automatically guarantee better services for the public, as evidenced by the country’s experience with its privately operated water, electricity and railway systems, according to the senator.

Hontiveros cited a study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicating that five out of six international airports – Hamad, Tokyo, Incheon, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Istanbul – that are rated best across the world are publicly owned and operated.

“The majority of the best airports in the world remains state-owned. There are plenty of good practices in airport operations for us to emulate, if the government is indeed serious about fixing our airports,” she said.

She added that instead of rushing toward privatization and deregulation, Malacañang and the Department of Transportation and its attached agencies should work toward ensuring clear lines of accountability and responsibility in relation to airport operations.

The senator supported Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto and other officials’ call for an immediate technical system audit of NAIA operations so that the government can proactively identify and address weaknesses.

Hontiveros warned that insisting on deregulating or privatizing the NAIA would create a “dangerous and reckless” mindset in the government, which is predisposed to allowing private corporations to take over public services, instead of demanding better performance from public officials.

“Sometimes, there is no alternative to demanding that our public officials actually do their jobs well. This is one of those cases. We should demand more from our public officials and not encourage further complacency in the bureaucracy by bringing in the private sector every time our public officials are unable or unwilling to do their jobs,” she said.