LEANDRO Mendoza, Transportation Secretary and
concurrent officer-in-charge of the Air Transportation Office (ATO),
on Monday said he would try to regain the Category 1 status in
terms of airport safety of the aviation agency within three
months provided Congress passes the Civil Aviation Authority of
the Philippines (CAAP) bill.
"The passage of the bill into law would allow
us to offer competitive salaries because we would have fiscal
autonomy and the technical people would be exempted from the
Salary Standardization Law," Mendoza said at a press conference.
Mendoza visited ATO yesterday morning for a
two-hour long briefing by ATO executives.
The US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA)
downgraded ATO from Category 1 to Category 2 status after it was
found deficient in technical staff and documentation, among
other things.
Malacañang rejected suggestions from some
sectors yesterday for President Arroyo to directly appeal with
FAA officials to restore the Philippines’ Category 1 status. The
proponents noted that former president Fidel Ramos, during his
time, did the same thing.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the
President has already taken a direct hand by putting Mendoza in
ATO and giving him three months to comply with the technical and
administrative requirements of the FAA. He said it is now the
turn of Congress to pass the CAAP bill.
Mendoza said ATO will hire more pilots and
train additional air traffic controllers in preparation for the
transition after Congress passes the CAAP bill. Without naming
any figure, he said ATO would be offering competitive salaries
for pilots. "The government can come up with the resources
needed but the ATO needs Congress’ legislation so that we could
proceed with the training of check-pilots and airworthiness
inspectors."
Mendoza said President Arroyo had assured him
of fiscal support to fast-track ATO’s rehabilitation.
At the moment, ATO has only 12 check pilots
although it needs about 32 more flyers, 27 airworthiness
inspectors, 25 airline inspectors (who are also pilots) and 300
air controllers.
Mendoza said it would be easy to hire the
pilots but providing them simulator training would take some
time. An hour of training for each pilot, who needs a minimum of
four hours, costs $500. At an exchange rate of P50:$1, ATO would
need to come up with $24,000 or P1.2 million to provide
simulator training for its 12 check pilots.
"(And) that is only for one type of
airplane," Mendoza said, adding that the FAA requirement is to
have one certified pilot for each type of airplane, such as
B737, B777, B747 and the Airbus family of A319, A320, A300,
A340, not counting the dozens of smaller types of planes owned
by private flying schools, executive jets and charter services.
Mendoza said Rep. Monico Fuentebella, chair
of the ways and means committee, has promised passage of the
CAAP bill by February. Once this is done, Mendoza said ATO can
legally spend its own income and hire an additional 3,500
persons to fill the 7,000 slots in the agency. He said those
presently employed by ATO who do not meet the required
qualifications will be fired and replaced with competent
workers.
At the end of three months, when ATO feels it
has hired the needed pilots and technical personnel and
computerized its documents, Mendoza said they will call FAA for
a re-inspection.
Deo Deocampo, ATO head executive assistant, said ATO earned
P2.8 billion in 2007 and was given P1.3 billion to spend by the
national government. This year, ATO estimates it would earn P3
billion and hopes it will get some P1.6 billion to finance its
expenses. When the CAAP bill becomes law, ATO will be able to
spend 100 percent of its own income. – Jay Chua with
Regina Bengco
