As per the recent news, President Duterte paid a surprise visit to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2. What he saw, as per reports, did not make the President happy. As a matter of fact, he demanded update and answers about the issue where a lot of flights got delayed and cancelled.
You can read it here: Duterte’s Surprise Inspection at NAIA Terminal 2
The United States Department of Homeland Security
Back in December of 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that the NAIA failed to meet international standards for an international airport.
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In response, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said that they are currently making appropriate security measures in the country to maintain an international gateway—and to fulfill and sustain what the NAIA has always been.
Following this issue, President Rodrigo Duerte wants the Sangley Point Airport in Cavite to begin operations—specifically handle and manage domestic flights—starting November of this year.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade, said that President Duterte gave the go signal to them regarding the proposal to utilize the Sangley Point last Monday.
Salvador Panelo, Presidential Spokesperson said that the President really looks forward to making the Sangley Airport in Cavite City operational as early as possible within the means.
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For implementation na 'yun... Gusto ni Presidente, masyadong matagal ang December, November na lang. He's in a hurry; he wants to fix all of these things."
What is the Sangley Point?
The Sangley Point, which is also known to be the Danilo Atienza Air Base in Cavite City, is an Air Base that is in Cavite. It's actually been being looked at for conversion to an international airport to help resolve the congestion problems that the NAIA has been having these past few months.
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In addition to what Panelo said, he mentioned that Arthur Tugade is currently in the process of concocting an Executive Order (E.O.) to formalize and finalize the declaration of our dear President.
Secretary Tugade reported that he had already initiated the testing of ferries that can operate from Mall of Asia (MOA) to Sangley within 18 to 24 minutes.
Since May, a lot of flights to and from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were reported to either have been cancelled or delayed. This alarmed our dear President which is why he did a surprise visit to NAIA Terminal 2 at 2 in the morning last Monday, the 10th of June 2019.
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Now, the Sangley Point Airport should be operational before the year ends and this is what the plan should be to be able to make space for the NAIA Terminals.
Last April, President Duterte issued the warning that he will be getting help from the Philippine Air Force to somehow take over the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) when he sees that their operations do not improve.
What will happen when the Sangley Airport becomes operational?
When the Sangley Point Airport becomes operational, it will cutoff passengers who would need to travel to NAIA to go to different destinations by plane. Not only would it give space to NAIA, it could also be the key to eradicate traffic in the Metro.
In addition to that, Panelo said that President Duterte wants a single civilian entity or military in the Sangley Point Airport to be in charge of security to maintain peace and order under his command.
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Do you live in the South and is it such a hassle for you every time you need to go to NAIA to ride an airplane? Don't you just hate the fact that NAIA is the only main terminal in the country to bring people in and out of the country and provinces?
Once the Sangley Airport opens to the public, we do hope that it remedies the current situation our country has in terms of traffic and the congestion in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
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