Media Statement
May 27, 2024
The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC), in a letter to the Philippine Senate, called for the approval of crucial legislative measures aimed at overhauling the governance framework of the country’s airports. Specifically, the JFC emphasized the importance of (1) the Civil Aviation Authority Act of the Philippines (CAAP) Law amendments to strengthen CAAP’s role in safety oversight by enhancing human resource development, fortifying the board, and aligning with global safety standards, (2) the creation of the Philippine Airports Authority to separate the conflicting functions of the CAAP as an airport regulator and operator, and (3) the creation of the Philippine Transportation Safety Board to strengthen the government’s ability to investigate accidents and improve safety. The letter also comes after numerous flights in and out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last week were delayed due to a technical issue with the navigational air traffic management system.
The letter reads, in part, “These reforms are essential to enhancing the safety, efficiency, and overall quality of both domestic and international airports in the Philippines.”
The letter also notes that these legislative reforms were also recommended in Senate Committee Report 39, filed on March 23, 2023, following the legislative inquiry into the air traffic management system glitch at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and calls for the appropriate structure in place to prevent similar transport incidents from happening in the future.
The JFC is a coalition of the American, Australian-New Zealand, Canadian, European, Japanese, and Korean chambers and PAMURI. We represent over 3,000 member companies engaged in over US $100 billion worth of trade and some US $30 billion worth of investments in the Philippines. The JFC supports and promotes open international trade, increased foreign investment, and improved conditions for business to benefit both the Philippines and the countries we represent.
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