House leaders seek abolition of CAB

Leaders of the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez are proposing the abolition of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and transfer its functions to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

"At present, each airport in the country acts independently of other airports and is operated and/or managed by a specific entity. There is no overall regulatory power that sets uniform standards for all airports to follow, " he said.

"Moreover, given that airport entities regulate themselves, there is a high risk of conflict of interest arises. After all, the merge of regulator and operator is rife with risks. It is not a sound policy,” Alvarez pointed out.

Alvarez said that to address the situation, the CAAP's current powers should be expanded by regulating all airports with legislative franchise and abolish the CAB and transfer its current functions to the CAAP.

Alvarez, along with Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento filed House Bill 7407 making CAAP the central regulatory agency for both the economic and technical aspect of the country's aviation system.