BACOLOD CITY — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will spearhead the multi-agency emergency exercise at the Bacolod-Silay Airport on Nov. 9 to test the airport’s capability in responding to disasters, particularly a plane crash.
Ofelia Leonardo, information officer of CAAP Bacolod-Silay Airport, said on Tuesday that a table-top discussion of all the agencies, sectors and groups involved will be held on November 6 before the simulation exercise will be conducted.
On Nov. 9, the airport runway will be closed from 8 a.m. to 12 noon for the conduct of the airport emergency plan-full scale emergency exercise.
Involved in the exercise are the airport authorities, aircraft operators, police and security agencies, medical service units government authorities, airport tenants, civil defense units, military, volunteer rescue organizations, the media, among others.
Earlier, Hemilie Fernandez of CAAP said “the aerodrome emergency plan sets forth the procedures for coordinating the response of different aerodrome agencies, and agencies in the surrounding community that could be of assistance in responding to an emergency at the airport.”
The conduct of full-scale emergency exercise is a requirement of International Civil Aviation Organization on airport emergency planning.
A similar exercise was also conducted in other airports, including those in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo and Kalibo, Aklan.
The Bacolod-Silay Airport, located in Silay City, Negros Occidental, is headed by Airport Manager I Martin Terre. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
