Aviation boss opts to skirt Civil Service

Ano ba talaga Kuya?
By Eric B. Apolonio

February 9, 2011

THE newly appointed head of the Civil Aviation Authority said Monday he will ask President Benigno Aquino III to intervene in the appointment of seven of the agency’s key officials, and after the Civil Service Commission disapproved their having been recommended by Transport and Communications Secretary Jose de Jesus.

“We will ask President Aquino to appoint the seven officials by way of going around the [Civil Service] restrictions,” Aviation Authority Director General Ramon Gutierrez said.

The commission in December told Mr. Aquino that De Jesus had no authority to appoint people to the Aviation Authority.

Only the agency’s director general had the authority to make appointments there except for two deputy director generals, key staff in the technical positions, and the heads of services and groups, and their appointments were subject to the agency board’s approval, the commission said.

Later, the commission said that the Aviation Authority’s director general aside, “the only appointing authority at the CAAP, … from the lowest to the highest position[,] is the President of the Philippines.”

De Jesus in November appointed seven people to key posts in the Aviation Authority while it was still being led by Alfonso Cusi.

They were Ramon Gutierrez, deputy director general for Administration; Napoleon Garcia, deputy director general for Operations; Wilfredo Borja, assistant director general II for Air Traffic Services; Andrew Basallote, assistant director general II for the Air Navigation Service; Edgardo Costes, assistant director general II for the Aerodrome Development and Management Service; Wilson Mirabona, assistant director general I for the Aerodrome Development and Management Service; and Andres Laurilla, assistant director general I for Civil Aviation Training.

Borja and Basallote had already been serving as Cusi’s immediate deputies, while the rest were newcomers.