PHL delaying Asean open skies

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo / Special to the BusinessMirror | September 16, 2015

THE Philippines remains as the last holdout to signing the open-skies aviation policy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), one of the key measures to ensure air connectivity and increased visitor arrivals in the region.

Aileen Clemente, president of the Asean Travel Association (Aseanta), made this revelation during the recent Third Philippines Tourism Forum, and urged the Aquino administration to ratify the policy immediately. “Our signing is, first of all, symbolic—that we are already willing to be taken as Asean and that [we are prioritizing] economic benefits over protectionism,” she later told the BusinessMirror.

She added that being an archipelago, the country “will need connectivity with our neighbors as we grow tourism in the Philippines, as well as trade and business.”

Clemente, who is also president of Rajah Travel Corp., noted that the goal of Asean’s current tourism strategic plan is to “provide an increasing number of visitors to the region with authentic and diverse products, enhanced
connectivity, a safe and secure environment, increased quality of services, while, at the same time, ensuring an increased quality of life and opportunities for residents through responsible and sustainable tourism development by working effectively with a wide range of stakeholders,” by 2015.

The Aseanta, is a nonprofit tourism association formed in 1971, which is composed of public and private tourism sector organizations from the Asean, such as national tourism organizations (e.g., the Philippines’s Department of Tourism), airlines, travel associations, and hotel and restaurant associations. One of its goals is to support and help implement the Asean strategic tourism plan—a road map to ensure that the region remains a successful tourism destination.

The Department of Transportation and Communications, however, could not say when the Philippines would ratify the said policy, which should have been implemented this year, in preparation of the integration of Asean into one economic community.

In a brief text exchange with Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, he said “a check with the Office of the President is that the Department of Foreign Affairs [DFA] has some modification on the ratification document.”

Asked what these modifications were, he said: “To make clear that the protocols are subject to slots in Manila, which I understood from the start is written into the agreement.” The protocols refer to opening up third, fourth, and fifth freedom rights for foreign carriers flying into capitals, for instance, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Manila.

But he stressed that “clearly the decision and policy of government is ratification,” but failed to say when this would happen. Abaya said he would follow up the issue with the DFA.

Clemente, countered however, that “the excuse that there are no slots in the Naia is isolated from the principle of open skies.” She pointed out that Indonesia already signed [the protocols] even if the Jakarta airport currently doesn’t have slots to provide [foreign carriers].”

About half of the Asean population of 600 million lives in Indonesia, making it an important signatory to the region’s open-skies protocols.

Abaya is the chairman of the Philippine Air Consultation Panel, which negotiates air-service agreements with other countries. While the Aquino administration continues to protect Manila, it frees up flying rights of foreign carriers in secondary cities or other provincial capitals

The Asean open-skies policy, or Asean Single Aviation Market (Asean-SAM), guarantees third and fourth freedom rights, which allow carriers to fly from their home country to another foreign country, sans government approval.

It also ensures fifth freedom rights, allowing any carrier to fly between two foreign countries during flights originating or ending in said airline’s home country. This means, a Philippine carrier can offer return flights between Manila and Kuala Lumpur, then onward to Bangkok.

The document is silent on seventh freedom rights that will allow a carrier to fly between two foreign countries, even if said carrier isn’t offering flights in its home country.

Even Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. expressed support for the Asean open- skies policy, saying it would afford greater connectivity in the region and benefit the Philippines. In a text message, he said: “Absolutely. I believe that, with the right preparation, the Philippines could benefit in terms of tourist arrivals. Anything that makes it easy/efficient for people to get to, pass through and leave from the Philippines will add to arrivals. Whether our airlines are prepared to compete on this basis may be another story.”

Clemente stressed further that it was time for government to think of the economic benefits of signing on to the Asean-SAM. “Connectivity is inclusive of intra- and inter-country and islands. If the current hub for air traffic is mostly connected via Manila—that’s where most foreign carriers can go. But if it can also be allowed that all carriers can pick up from multiple points within the Philippines, this then becomes economically beneficial and assists in the decongestion of one airport.”

She added that if the government’s goal is to make the Philippines a major tourism destination in Asean and the world, then all its regulatory agencies must support that one common vision. “Our goals should be beyond our businesses and be beyond the scope of each department in government, but rather, everyone must take one vision, one goal and work around it even if it means it gives up turfs or current areas of responsibilities—all these, bearing in mind, that we need safe, secure and seamless travel [to and around the islands].”

The 10 members of the Asean are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: www.businessmirror.com.ph