Airports

Lack of safety protection of port employees, staff, operator. The ports lacked health safety inspection areas, PPEs, disinfectants to be used not only during pandemic-like cases, but also in times of natural calamities.

Port workers like porters, dockworkers were deprived of daily income due to cancellation

of trips of passenger vessels. Interventions were provided to employees such as early release of salary and midyear bonuses, granting of COVID-19 hazard pay, and, granting of rice to PPA personnel as social amelioration measures.

No systematic reporting for all port operations. Situational reports and data are important for managers and decision-makers. Unfortunately, coming up with a consolidated picture on the status of the region’s ports is non-existent because no one has been tasked by central office to do this work. Reports are separately prepared by the port management offices of Iloilo/Panay and Negros Occcidental making it difficult to have a quick overall picture of the region’s port activities. It is recommended that the PPA Management designates a PMO to prepare the consolidated report from all port operations in the region for quick analysis of port activities in Western Visayas.

Airports All airport operations were suspended during the ECQ, except when they had to cater to cargoes and transporting the following: a) health workers responding to emergency; b) members of PNP and all branches of AFP; c) persons travelling for urgent reasons; and, d) persons travelling to the province on common carriers and/or transport for the conduct of trade, delivery of social/humanitarian services, fishing/marine activities, scientific/academic pursuit, and such other essential purposes, other than carriage of passengers.

Significant drop in airport revenues. With all domestic and international flights temporarily suspended starting March 17 and March 26, 2020, respectively, there was a 59 percent drop in overall airport revenues. Airports that were heavily affected were Roxas Airport and Kalibo International Airport with significant dip in revenues of about 90.0 percent and 83.0 percent, respectively. However, Iloilo International Airport made substantial gains at 223.02 percent, which is more than double the revenues earned in March 2019. Bacolod-Silay Airport also gained by 11.36 percent. These airports were utilized for special inbound and outbound flights to evacuate stranded international and domestic tourists, as well as cargo flights for medical kits and supplies and other critical supplies needed in and out the region.

Number of flights, volume of passengers and cargoes were significantly affected. The number of inbound and outbound flights dropped with Kalibo International Airport experiencing the highest drop of about 81.0 percent, followed by Roxas Airport with a 78.35 percent drop.

Correspondingly, the number of inbound and outbound passengers dropped significantly in all airports in Region VI, with passengers just limited to passengers such as stranded foreign tourists and locals, health personnel and government officials.