Pasay City — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) hosted the meeting of the National Air Transport Facilitation Committee (NATFC) on Tuesday, May 12, at the Civil Aviation Training Center in Pasay City.
The meeting was attended by the committee’s members from the different government agencies, aircraft and airport operators.
The convening of the NATFC strengthens the Philippines’ compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 9 – Facilitation, which requires member States to establish a national mechanism that promotes seamless air transport operations while ensuring aviation security, border integrity, and public health safeguards.
The NATFC serves as the country’s primary inter-agency platform for addressing facilitation concerns for airports with border control measures.
Aside from the privatized airports serving international flights such as NAIA, Mactan, Clark, Bohol-Panglao, and Laguindingan, CAAP also manages and operates five more airports with international flights, 34 airports in the class 1 and class 2 categories, and 33 community airports.
“This meeting provides a platform to address concerns on border control procedures, including immigration, customs, quarantine, and related controls, while ensuring security protocols remain upheld. As we pursue more efficient passenger processing and seamless airport operations, we must maintain the balance between facilitation and security,” said CAAP Director General, Retired Lt. Gen. Raul del Rosario.
The Director General also stressed the need to replicate the implementation of a facilitation mechanism at airports without border-control processes, such as immigration and customs, provided that other finer points of the facilitation mechanism, such as quarantine, health, and other related controls on the domestic side, are relevant and applicable.
The meeting also focused on formalizing the committee’s structure and initiating the development of the National Air Transport Facilitation Program, which will serve as the country’s framework for implementing facilitation measures under ICAO Annex 9.
Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Jim Sydiongco highlighted the need for stronger collaboration and innovation amid rapid developments in the aviation industry, in line with the directives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez.
“We must improve our policies, systems, infrastructure, and operations to meet global demands and the growing expectations of the traveling public. Our goal is to create a safer, more seamless, efficient, and passenger-centered travel environment for every Filipino and traveler passing through our gateways,” Usec Sydiongco said.
