i hope the FAA will find this funny. or the Phils will be downgraded to Cat3. FAA might invent this category exclusively for the Phils.
Nothing lost for fired ATO acting chief
By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines -- The firing of the Air Transportation Office's acting chief seems no different from a rank downgrade as the official will retain his post as executive director, the second top man who will take on the chief's role in his absence.
Nothing has been lost for fired ATO acting chief Daniel Dimagiba, who retains his post as the ATO chief's deputy and is still empowered to make decisions, sign papers and lead safety oversight operations.
Malacaņang relieved him as acting aviation chief on Thursday in light of the ATO's failure to comply with international air safety standards, prompting the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to downgrade the country's aviation safety rating to Category 2.
Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza was ordered to assume ATO's top post and was given three months to solve the aviation safety mess which prompted the US Embassy to caution its citizens against flying via Philippine-licensed carriers.
"If the secretary is busy in the department, he might ask me to take over ... depends on our arrangement," Dimagiba told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview, which he strictly clocked for five minutes.
Dimagiba even bared he might be tasked as concurrent chief of the ATO's safety division, the office supposed to take care of pilot and aircraft licensing, certification and airworthiness inspections, procedure and personnel, exactly what the FAA rated poor and internationally unacceptable.
The official was acting chief of the said division during FAA's safety audit, which began sometime June last year.
"That's where the problem is. That's what I handled earlier... You can't put somebody new in that division because that's the hardest ... That's where the three crucial regulations are: licensing, operations and air worthiness," Dimagiba said.
Dimagiba busily went about the day's affairs still at the ATO chief's office Friday, his desk nameplate still bearing a taped computer printout that declared his position: "acting assistant secretary."
He said he has yet to receive a written order from his superiors directing his relief, but added he has been verbally told that he would no longer serve the post he took on temporarily last year.
Dimagiba, who headed the Philippine side in talks with FAA inspectors in November and signed the meeting's records, was appointed acting aviation chief toward the end of last year when then ATO chief Nilo Jatico resigned over allegations of illegal funds disbursement.
As the ATO chief's assistant, he could be directed to take on tasks such as "signing, decision-making or whatever ... it depends."
"The role of the executive director is to assist the assistant secretary (ATO chief). That's really [the job description] even before... I will give him feedback and support him," said a smiling Dimagiba, his face far from that of a man who has just been fired.
"I will still be here at ATO. I am an organic employee," said the career official, who said he has been with the office for 50 years.
He agreed when asked whether he will remain hands on in ATO's efforts to rectify problems the FAA found during its safety audit last year.
"We are already doing measures for compliance with what the FAA found, like the revision of manuals, technical documentation, certification processing and the computerization of license records and pilots," Dimagiba said.