PRESIDENT MARCOS: I scheduled a visit here to the airport to get a briefing from the airport authorities especially with Secretary Jimmy Bautista and Secretary Ivan Uy for the technical aspects of the problem that we saw on New Year’s Day.
Now, as far as we can determine --- as far as we have done everything to return operations back to normal.
And, right now, we can say that overall, we --- the system, the national system was down for about six and a half hours on January 1. At nakabalik naman kaagad.
Ngayon, ang pinag-usapan namin ay kung papaano tiyakin na hindi na mangyari ulit at mayroon mga pieces of equipment na mukhang nagka-problema, kaya’t nagkaganito, kaya naputulan ng kuryente, kaya nag-down ‘yung buong system.
So I think for now, we’ll be all right. But we are planning already on the future redundancies for the system. So kung mayroon mangyari ulit na ganito, mayroon tayo kaagad na kapalit. Hindi na tayo aabot ng anim na oras. Siguro mahaba na ‘yung ilang minuto lang.
Well, UPS is an uninterrupted power supply so for --- more or less dapat uninterrupted talaga. It’s extremely important especially during Christmas season at alam naman natin napakarami ng mga Pinoy na lumilipad mula sa abroad at pumupunta sa kani-kanilang mga probinsya.
So now we are back to normal operations. But there is a lot of work that we need to do dahil sari-sari ang problema eh. There are technical problems that we need to attend to. There are contractual problems that we also need to attend to. So all of these things, we will have to attend to immediately.
Ang sinabi ko lang kay Sec. Jimmy is to make sure that we fast-track all of --- whatever negotiations we have with our --- with the equipment suppliers who can help us with the upgrades, who can help us with the upgrades both for the software and the hardware of our equipment.
And beyond that, is to have a proper backup system so that if the whole system fails, like it did on January 1, we have a complete system ready to go. ‘Yun lamang, that might take a little time but that is something that we will try to fast-track as quickly as possible.
I can say that considering how big the problem was, I think that our --- the airport authorities, our Cabinet secretaries, and all those who were involved in returning the system back have done a reasonably good job at six hours is rather a short time considering how much needed to be done to get the system back up into working condition.
So that’s --- there’s going to be more on this in the future. As I said, we started by talking about the technical problems that happened in January 1. Then I asked them to brief me on what exactly is the situation now and the situation now is that we are back to normal operations.
And then, of course, what do we need to do in the long-term to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, certainly, especially not at the high-traffic season like happened to us in January 1. So that is the essence of what we did here today.
Q: Hi sir. Magandang hapon po.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Good afternoon.
Q: Sir, what do you want to tell to the public and especially the foreign tourists who were affected by the cancellation and delayed flights last New Year?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, we of course, it is very unfortunate and this is not something that--- of course, none of us wanted this to happen and we have tried our best to support, to make sure that those who were affected and it is a large number. Ang estimate na nakita ko 64,000 ang apektadong pasahero.
At ginawa naman namin, tiniyak namin na mayroon naman silang support. In other words, mayroon silang --- pinapakain natin, mayroon silang pupuntahan, hindi naman sila basta’t pinabayaan na lang at we left them to their own devices. But we try to support them in every way. We were giving --- we were able to give some --- well magpakain nga. And then the malasakit packs that we were --- that the MIAA has. So we were able to give that.
But of course, the most important thing is na makarating na sila doon sa kanilang talagang destination. And that’s what --- that I think would have been --- has been the best, the most important part and that the best effort went into that.
So now, I’m sorry. We, of course, we have to apologize to our kababayans who, especially those who came from abroad dahil limitado ang kanilang bakasyon. Nawala yung dalawa, tatlong araw eh. Alam naman natin, very valuable sa Pilipino ‘yung Christmas holiday. Kaya’t kami’y naghihingi --- humihingi ng inyong paumanhin. Ngunit gagawin namin ang lahat na hindi na maulit ito.
Q: Salamat sir.
Q: Good afternoon po, sir.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Good afternoon.
Q: Ano po ‘yung directive natin sa Department of Health and Bureau of Quarantine following po ‘yung report ng Omicron XBB. 1.5 subvariant sa ibang bansa? And gaano po kahanda ang Pillipinas sakali pong muli na naman pong tumaas ‘yung kaso na COVID-19 sa bansa?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, ganun pa rin. We are still in the same status. At, mukha naman kagaya ng mga bagong variant na mga pumapasok dito, na dumadating. Naka-abang tayo. Binabantayan natin nang husto.
Like before, I’ve always looked at the hospitals and the occupancy rate. Kasi I start to worry pagka ‘yung ospital ay hindi na kaya tanggapin ang pasyente dahil punong-puno na sila. Wala pa tayo roon.
What has happened, nag-increase ang occupancy rate ng mga ospital dahil ‘yung hindi nagpa-ospital ng dalawang taon, ngayon eh pumupunta sa ospital. It’s not for COVID, it’s for other things.
So, we’re watching it. Of course, very closely. But so far, mukha naman maayos, mukha namang nama-manage natin.
Q: Magandang hapon po Mr. President.
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Good afternoon.
Q: Yes sir. Sir, hiningi po, ni-request ni Secretary Abalos ang courtesy resignation ng senior officials ng PNP. Ito po ba ay may imprimatur ninyo or galing sa inyong directive?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Oh, yes. We were planning this for awhile. Well, let me be very clear. Remember, during the campaign, nung tinatanong ako kung ano ‘yung gagawin natin tungkol sa drug war or drug problem. This is it. We approach it in entirely differently way. Alam naman natin na ‘yung problema sa drugs hindi mangyayari ‘yan kung hindi kasabwat ‘yung mga iba diyan sa police.
Kaya’t kailangan natin tingnan ng mabuti sino ba talaga ang kasabwat diyan, sino ba talaga ang involved, at sinong hindi na talaga pwedeng mag-serbisyo dahil associated na sila sa mga drug lord.
So that is just --- we are just cleansing the ranks and trying to see --- and making sure that ‘yung mga opisyal na natitira sa atin, eh maaasahan natin at hindi nagtatrabaho --- nagtatrabaho para sa gobyerno, hindi nagtatrabaho para sa ibang sindikato.
Q: Sir, according po to Senator Pimentel parang naghahanap lang po ng several rats but we are burning the house down?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Like? Naghahanap ng?
Q: Parang naghahanap lang po ng --- parang konti… Bakit daw po hindi na lang kasuhan ‘yung mga identified na…?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Wala pa tayo roon. Kasi hindi pa natin na-identify. We are going to form a commission. We asked for the resignation, the courtesy resignations. We will form a commission and we will look into the records of all of the officers as we slowly reinstate those who are clear and maybe, we will have to decide what do we do with those that are implicated to being involved in the drug trade.
So ‘yung… Siguro ‘yung mga severe cases kakasuhan natin. So we’ll see. We’ll see first. We’re not yet there. We’re not yet there.
Because the senator is a top-notcher lawyer. He understands. We have to build a case. And ‘yung haka-haka lang, chismis-chismis lang. “Ito involved ito, ito involved diyan.” Dinaanan na natin ‘yan eh. Walang nangyari.
So tiyakin natin kung magkakaso tayo ipapanalo talaga natin at makukulong talaga kung sino man ang mga ano napatunayan na kasabwat dito sa drug trade.
Q: Sir, have you tried to check kung na-maintain ba properly ‘yung mga --- ‘yung UPS…?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: ‘Yung mga?
Q: Was it properly maintained?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: I cannot hear you.
Q: Was it regularly maintained the UPS? Regular ba ‘yung maintenance tsaka ‘yung checkup?
PRESIDENT MARCOS: Ang naging problema is not in the UPS, it’s in another, it was in another unit. It was a circuit breaker na somehow hindi niya naibaba ‘yung boltahe na pumapasok na kuryente kaya’t ‘yung UPS nakita masyadong mataas ‘yung boltahe na pumapasok, masisira mga makinarya nagsara. ‘Yun ang nangyari. Ngayon, bago na. Mayroon na tayong bagong --- mayroon na tayo… ‘Yung circuit breaker ang naging problema, napalitan na. Bago na ‘yung naka-install ngayon.
At ‘yung mga UPS we did an emergency procurement and we are going to procure… [Two units ‘yata ‘no?] Two units of UPS para mayroon tayong main at saka mayroon tayong backup.
All right. Thank you.
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