CAAP
CAAP
CAAP
On November 20, 1931, the Philippine Legislature passed Act No. 3909 1 providing that the
Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Communications has the duty, among
others, to foster air commerce, encourage the establishment of airports, civil airways and
other navigation facilities and investigate causes of air mishaps. As such, said Secretary
has the power to administer and enforce air traffic rules, issue or revoke licenses and issue
regulations necessary; to execute his vested functions.
On December 5, 1932, Act No. 39962 amended Act No. 3909 as to matters concerning the
licensing of airmen and aircraft, inspection of aircraft, air traffic rules, schedules and rates
and enforcement of aviation laws.
On December 9, 1932, Act No. 40333 was approved, providing, among others, that no
aviation public service, including those of foreign aircrafts, shall operate in the Philippines
without having first secured from the Philippine Legislature a franchise to operate an air
service.
From 1932 to 1936, there were no standard procedures as to the licensing of airmen,
registration of aircraft and recording of various aeronautical activities connected with
commercial aviation. There were attempts made to register planes and their owners without
ascertaining their airworthiness and to record names of pilots, airplane mechanics and other
details. It was also narrated that in 1933, the office of Technical Assistant of Aviation
Matters was expanded into the Aeronautics Division under the Department of Commerce
and Industry, the functions of which were embodied in Administrative Order No. 309, a joint
Bulletin issued by the Department of Public Works and Communications and the
Department of Finance.
On November 12, 1936, the National Assembly passed Commonwealth Act No.
1684 otherwise known as the Civil Aviation Law of the Philippines, creating the Bureau of
Aeronautics and organizing the same under the Department of Public Works and
Communications.5 After the liberation of the Philippines in March 1945, the Bureau was
reorganized and placed under the Department of National Defense. Among its functions
was to promulgate civil aviation regulations.
On October 1947, Executive Order (E.O.) No. 94 which reorganized the government,
transferred the Bureau of Aeronautics to the newly created Department of Commerce and
Industry and renamed the same as the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).
On June 5, 1948, R.A. No. 224 6 created the National Airports Corporation, serving as an
agency of the Republic of the Philippines for the development, administration, operation and
management of government-owned landing fields in the country except for those controlled
and/or operated by the Armed Forces.
On November 10, 1950, the National Airports Corporation was abolished by E.O. No.
3657 and was replaced by the CAA.
On June 20, 1952, R.A. No. 776 8 otherwise known as the Civil Aeronautics Act of the
Philippines, was passed, reorganizing the Civil Aeronautics Board and the CAA, defining
their respective powers and duties, making adjustments as to the funds and personnel and
regulating civil aeronautics. Under R.A. No. 776, the CAA was charged with the duty of
planning, designing, constructing, equipping, expanding, improving, repairing or altering
aerodromes or such other structures, improvements or air navigation facilities. 9
On October 19, 1956, former President Ramon Magsaysay issued E.O. No.
20910 transferring in to the CAA to the Department of Public Works, Transportation and
Communications from the Department of Commerce and Industry.
On January 20, 1975, Letter of Instruction No. 244, series of 1975 11 directed that all funds
for the preliminary engineering, construction and maintenance of all national airports
appropriated for the fiscal year 1974-75 be transferred and/or released to the Department of
Public Highways. The responsibilities related to location, planning design and funding were
later returned to the CAA.
On July 23, 1979, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos issued E.O. No. 546 12 renaming
the CAA as the Bureau of Air Transportation (BAT) and placing the same under the Ministry
of Transportation and Communications.
Subsequently, BAT, though reorganized, was maintained under E.O. No. 125 13 issued by
former President Corazon C. Aquino (President Aquino) on January 30, 1987. Shortly
thereafter or on April 13, 1987, President Aquino issued E.O. No. 125-A 14 renaming BAT to
ATO which would be headed by the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Air Transportation.
Section 12 of said E.O. No. 125 which contained the proviso concerning BAT was deleted
by Section 2 of E.O. No. 125-A.
On March 4, 2008, R.A. No. 9497 was passed, whereby ATO was replaced by CAAP, to be
headed by the Director General of Civil Aviation. Pursuant to Sections 4 15 and 8516 thereof,
the ATO was abolished, and all its powers were transferred to the CAAP.