Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 2) — As Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 returns to its normal operations, a joint committee is set to meet on Tuesday to determine the next steps to take following the power outage at the country’s main gateway on Labor Day, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said.
“There will be an investigation which will be conducted by a joint committee… so that we will be able to determine what is the real cause because there are claims that it’s not a regular fault that entered the system of NAIA Terminal 3,” DOTr Sec. Jaime Bautista told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Tuesday.
On May 1, a number of flights at NAIA Terminal 3 were either canceled or delayed after an almost eight-hour power outage at the airport, affecting over 9,000 passengers.
Bautista said the meeting will involve the Office for Transportation Security, Manila International Airport Authority, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, as well as the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Philippine National Police.
The Transportation chief said he also expects to be given a timeline regarding the investigation and the release of findings.
According to Bautista, initial investigation showed that the power outage was caused by a fault that entered the circuit breaker, causing the surge that damaged the elbow connector.
The angle of sabotage is also being considered, he noted.
The power outage on Monday comes four months after the New Year’s Day fiasco that occurred at the same terminal. A similar electric problem also occurred in September last year.
Bautista admitted that the 25-year-old terminal needs several upgrades.
He said the government is already working on procuring more generator sets to fully support the requirements of Terminal 3.
Authorities are also eyeing a full electrical audit for the terminal to also determine what other improvements in the existing electrical system are needed, he added.
Following the incident, Bautista said the DOTr welcomes the ₱100-billion unsolicited proposal of a newly formed consortium composed of six big Filipino conglomerates and US-based Global Infrastructure Partners to upgrade and operate NAIA.
READ: DOTr to study super consortium’s proposal on ₱100-B NAIA upgrade
