MANILA - The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Friday said it was important for the agency to have its own funds for the maintenance of operations and systems, and to upgrade other infrastructure.

Lawyer Irish Precion, acting head of the CAAP's aviation safety analysis division, said that at present, they remit dividends to the government.

As a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), CAAP is mandated to remit at least 50 percent of revenues to the national government, based on the law.

• Philippine airspace shutdown ends, flights resume

Precion said CAAP having its own funds would ensure that there will not be any budgetary constraints for their maintenance efforts.

"By having a development fund na nakalaan sa CAAP, kapag mayroon tayong mga maintenance or mga gastos dito, or halimbawa si International Civil Aviation Organization ay mayroong standards na kailangan i-comply, mayroon tayong readily available funds para i-address dito sa mga standards na ito," Precion said in a televised briefing.

"Yung mga maintenance natin, kailangan ayusin, kailangan gawin, mayroon tayong funds readily available para sa mga ganito," she added.

Rep. Michael Romero in September last year filed House Bill 5002, which aims to provide P5 billion in development funding for CAAP.

The measure stated that this will allow the agency to have "flexibility to incorporate new practices and procedures as they become available without the procedures required for promulgation of legally binding regulations."

Meanwhile, she said CAAP was expanding and constructing airports, as well as terminals, for the convenience of passengers.

"Sa mga airports na inaayos natin na ito, makakatulong siya kasi magiging safer ang ating riding public so kapag nagkaroon ng expansion ang mga passenger terminal building, magkakaroon ng nitrating ang mga airports, mas maraming flights ang makakapasok," she said.

• CAAP upgrading air traffic center after airspace shutdown

On Thursday, CAAP said it was conducting several upgrades to the country's Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC), days after it temporarily shut down the Philippine airspace for replacement and repairs.

The replacements, aimed to prevent a repeat of the New Year's Day aviation fiasco that affected some 65,000 passengers last January, cost P13 million.

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