Press Release
August 29, 2018

'MAY MALAKING PAGKUKULANG,' POE SAYS OF AIRPORT OFFICIALS' ACTIONS ON RUNWAY MISHAP

Asserting that passengers should be paramount, Sen. Grace Poe today said airport officials were being neglectful of thousands upon thousands of inconvenienced passengers following the runway mishap at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) two weeks ago.

Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, said the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) should not just have trained its focus on the removal of the disabled aircraft of Xiamen Airlines that veered off the rain-soaked runway amid a heavy downpour on August 16 shortly before midnight, but also took utmost care of the passengers by giving them, at the very least, food and water to drink.

"Talagang mayroon silang malaking kakulangan. Sabihin na natin na ito ay isang pagkakataon na puwede silang matuto, pero malinaw na lahat sila ay nakatutok doon sa pagtatanggal ng eroplano na nakalimutan na nilang tutukan ang mga pasahero na kailangang sumakay pa o kaya kung paano sila bibigyan ng tulong habang naghihintay. Mismong ang General Manager ng Airport na si Mr. [Eddie] Monreal ang nagsabi na hindi na nila natutukan ang iba pang mga bagay-bagay, basically hindi nila nabantayan ang mga pangangailangan ng mga pasahero," Poe told reporters after a five-hour hearing.

This, amid criticisms on social media that passengers--especially the overseas Filipino workers--who had been stranded for several hours and even days at the airport terminals either have no food to eat or missed their flights as flight information displays were not working.

"Marami sa amin ang nakakakita na talagang malaki ang pagkakamali ng airport at ng DOTr [Department of Transportation] sapagkat sa kanila manggagaling kung magkakaroon ng gate changes, kung sino ang mga papasok na mga flights, pero hindi nila yata naaabisuhan nang tama ang mga airlines at ang mga airlines naman, kung naabisuhan, hindi rin naman nila naipaalam sa kanilang mga pasahero. Lahat talaga ay nagkaroon ng breakdown ng communication.

Monreal estimated that some 250,000 passengers were inconvenienced.

"Sabihin na nating aksidente ito at hindi naman natin pinaplano pero malinaw na ang kanilang mga protocol o ang kanilang mga dapat sinusunod na mga steps ay hindi nila nasunod. Kaya nga talagang nakakalungkot dahil nahirapan talaga ang mga pasahero, sinabing nagbigay ng pagkain pero marami pa rin talaga ang hindi nakatanggap. Marami sa kanila ay hindi naabisuhan ng kanilang flight. Balik sila nang balik sa airport o kaya ay naghintay sila ng matagal. Pasensiya na pero talagang pumalpak ang management ng airport dito," Poe said.

Senate probers zeroed in on the emergency protocol and why it took 36 hours to remove the disabled passenger aircraft. They said they found it unacceptable that airport officials were able to contact a crane operator that would lift the disabled aircraft at 9 a.m. the following day, or nine hours after the accident.

But for airport officials, they said 36 hours was "reasonable" given the "circumstances" of muddy terrain, heavy rains and lightning alerts. They maintained that in Thailand, it took them four days to remove a disabled aircraft; Nepal, two days; and the United States, 24 hours. "Your whole resources were just focused on recovery? No wonder there's chaos [at the airport] after that," said Poe on Monreal's admission that they were not able to provide food and water to stranded passengers.

Airline officials present during the inquiry assured that they prioritized the passengers during the mayhem at NAIA as they claimed they provided water, food and hotel accommodations especially to transit passengers.

Senators were also puzzled why DOTr Sec. Arthur Tugade did not immediately go to the airport or the incident site. Answering senators' grilling, Tugade said he went to the airport a day after the runway excursion but maintained he was "on top of the situation" and in contact with Monreal the whole time.

Airline representatives were also not present in the crisis management team formed by the MIAA immediately after the incident. It was only until August 24 or a week after the mishap that airline executives were called, senators learned.

"Para sa ating mga pasahero at para din sa mga empleyado ng airport, siyempre iba kapag nakita mo mismo ang Secretary ng Department of Transportation na nando'n. Ang sinasabi ni GM Monreal na 'yung mga ibang airlines hindi raw nag-volunteer magpadala ng representative doon sa kanilang crisis meeting, sabi ko hindi puwedeng voluntary 'yun, dapat 'yun ay mandatory. At siguro kung mismo ang ating Kalihim ng Department of Transportation ang nagtawag nitong crisis management meeting na ito, lahat ay pupunta do'n," Poe added.

Poe went on to suggest that the DOTr should have private contractors on stand by in cases of emergency.

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