Following the power outage that caused inconveniences at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City on Labor Day, Senator Bong Go has called on concerned authorities to exert necessary efforts to prevent such incidents from occurring.
Go stressed the need to improve services in NAIA, being the primary gateway to the country.
In an ambush interview after assisting residents in Buruanga, Aklan recently, the legislator said that the management of NAIA, as well as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, should take their responsibilities seriously and ensure that they do everything they can to prevent power outages from occurring.
“Tuwing mayroon pong aberya – kahit isang oras na nagkakaroon ng power outage – domino effect ‘yan.”
“Paigtingin n’yo po ang inyong pagtatrabaho, dahil tuwing mayroon pong aberya – kahit isang oras na nagkakaroon ng power outage – domino effect ‘yan,” the lawmaker urged.
“Ang domino effect n’yan, talagang kawawa ang mga pasahero lalung-lalo na po ang mga OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) natin. ‘Yung iba diyan, galing pa po ng probinsya, pupunta ng Maynila, mag-aantay ng dalawang oras. Eh, kapag na-delay, ang tanong diyan, babayaran ba ang rebooking nila dahil sa aberya?” the senator added.
The outage, which lasted eight hours, happened exactly four months after a similar incident occurred on New Year’s Day that led to the shutdown of the country’s airspace.
As per reports, at least 9,391 passengers were affected as several flights were either canceled or delayed due to the incident.
Go then went on to stress that the government must do more to ensure that airport management is properly prepared for such situations, saying, “Tayo pong nasa gobyerno, ayusin po natin ang ating trabaho. Nananawagan po ako, sana po maiwasan ‘yung ganitong aberya.”
He also highlighted that, during the Duterte administration, more than 200 airport projects were completed, with priority given to airports in Bicol, Cebu, and Aklan.
Go praised the improvements made in these facilities and emphasized the importance of prioritizing infrastructure development to benefit the Filipino people.
Finally, he called on authorities to have more contingency plans in place, including having backup power and facilities to accommodate stranded passengers.
“Nakikiusap po ako sa ating otoridad, sa ating management ng NAIA, kapag may ganung aberya, dapat ready agad ang Plan B.”
“Nakikiusap po ako sa ating otoridad, sa ating management ng NAIA, kapag may ganung aberya, dapat ready agad ang Plan B. Nandiyan ‘yung reserved power ninyo, at asikasuhin n’yo po ang mga pasahero,” Go said.
“Pagkain, mayroon silang matitirahan muna, at komportable naman na hindi lang nakahiga lang diyan sa gilid,” he concluded.
