Press Release
25 July 2023

Pasay City – On 21 July 2023, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) top management paid a courtesy call to Senator Raffy Tulfo at his office in the GSIS Building.

Photo: From left: Assistant Director General II of the Air Traffic Service (ATS) Marlene Singson, Deputy Director General for Operations Captain Edgardo Diaz, CAAP Spokesperson Eric Apolonio, Senator Raffy Tulfo, Director General Captain Manuel Antonio Tamayo, Deputy Director General for Administration Atty. Danjun Lucas, and Assistant Director General II of the CAAP Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) MGen. Ricardo Banayat, AFP (Ret.)

During the meeting, Senator Tulfo and the CAAP top management discussed pressing issues in the country’s aviation industry including improvements in airport runways, airworthiness of general aviation aircraft, the conduct of drug testing for pilots and air traffic controllers, and wage distortion in air traffic controllers. The senator raised his concerns on reported damages on airport runways, on ensuring that pilots and aircraft are religiously inspected and monitored, and gave detailed questions on CAAP’s regulatory oversight functions, issues which the CAAP representatives were able to discuss comprehensively with the Senator and with which the Authority gave assurance to take proactive action on.

The CAAP top management also got the support and approval of the senator for its efforts in making its airports a comfortable and convenient space for passengers by providing breastfeeding stations in several airports, as well as saying that he would become the champion of CAAP’s desire to separate the aircraft investigation function from the rest of the Authority, as this is a continuing safety observation from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

As a public servant deeply attentive to the well-being of the traveling public, Senator Tulfo also recommended to CAAP the possibility of creating capsule beds at rest locations in airport pre-departure areas as well as the construction of more breastfeeding stations in more airports as these areas promote comfort and relaxation important to exhausted and waiting passengers.

Additionally, the senator pledged to support and aid in pushing for funding CAAP’s programs in terms of providing more aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) firetrucks and in addressing birdstrike incidents.

“The CAAP is pleased to hear Senator Raffy Tulfo’s enthusiastic support for the programs and goals of CAAP. Being both a regulator and operator of most airports in the country, we truly appreciate and welcome the esteemed senator’s endorsement and help in achieving its mission of developing and improving the state of the country’s aviation sector,” shared CAAP Director General Captain Manuel Antonio Tamayo.

Present in the meeting with Senator Tulfo were CAAP Director General Captain Manuel Antonio Tamayo, Deputy Director General for Operations Captain Edgardo Diaz, Deputy Director General for Administration Atty. Danjun Lucas, Assistant Director General II of the CAAP Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) MGen. Ricardo Banayat, AFP (Ret.), Assistant Director General II of the Air Traffic Service (ATS) Marlene Singson, and CAAP Spokesperson Eric Apolonio.