NAIA Terminal 3 overdue for an electrical audit – DOTr
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 1) – The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 is long overdue for an electrical audit, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said after a power outage hit the facility on the morning of Labor Day.
The power outage hit the terminal at 1:05 a.m. on May 1. Over 40 flights and 9,000 passengers had been affected before it was resolved hours later at 8:46 a.m.
READ: Flights canceled on Labor Day long weekend as power outage hits NAIA Terminal 3
In a press conference, DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the agency was considering a full electrical audit for Terminal 3, which began operations in 2009. Its last audit was in 2017.
“Hindi na-implement ang lahat ng recommendations ng audit [2017] and since then lumaki na ang capacity ng Terminal 3. Kaya ang recommendation nila [Meralco] na it is time to do a full electrical audit on it,” Bautista disclosed on Monday.
[Translation: Not all the recommendations of the 2017 audit were fully implemented and since then, the capacity of Terminal 3 has increased. So Meralco recommended that it is time to do a full electrical audit on the facility.]
Officials said that audits were supposed to take place every five years, but there was no audit in 2022.
“Kakailanganin natin ng medyo malaking budget dito. Kailangan din natin ng more time na dadaan tayo sa government procurement law. Malaking trabaho itong rehabilitation ng Terminal 3,” he said.
[Translation: We need a large budget for this, we also need more time to go through the government procurement law. The rehabilitation of Terminal 3 would be a huge project.]
Citing Meralco, Bautista said a full electrical audit on Terminal 3 alone would take 60 to 90 days.
He said it also recommended full electrical audits for Terminal 1, completed in 1981, and Terminal 2, which began operations in 1999.
A Meralco official said a fault current or an irregular electricity flow from the NAIA’s power system caused the main circuit breaker to shut down the system, so as to prevent a fire or even an explosion.
