The President of the Republic of The Philippines, H. E. Benigno S. Aquino III (centre), with ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu (second from left). The two are joined by The Philippines’ Secretary of Transportation and Communication, his Honour Joseph Emilio A. Abaya (far left), Mr. Arun Mishra, ICAO Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific (second from right) and the State’s Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Lt. Gen. William K. Hotchkiss (far right).
MONTRÉAL, 30 OCTOBER 2015 – The President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, paid a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic of The Philippines, H. E. Benigno S. Aquino III this week, congratulating him and his government for their recent and significant efforts undertaken to improve civil aviation safety and regulatory oversight.
President Aquino was joined on the occasion by The Philippines’ Secretary of Transportation and Communication, his Honour Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, and the State’s Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Lt. Gen. William K. Hotchkiss. Accompanying ICAO President Aliu during his discussions was Mr. Arun Mishra, ICAO Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific.
While in discussion with Council President Aliu, President Aquino expressed his full support with respect to ICAO’s current appeal for further strengthening of regional and sub-regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve the objectives of the UN civil aviation agency’s ongoing No Country Left Behind initiative.
“ICAO is committed to continue working with The Philippines’ Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and to provide the necessary assistance to further improve its safety oversight systems – especially in view of the tremendous growth in air traffic it has recently experienced,” stressed President Aliu. “We will look forward to an official from The Philippines joining us in late November for ICAO’s World Aviation Forum, where we will be making clearer for all States and development partners the need for greater investment in aviation capacity and the clear returns on investment for States which make those commitments.”
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