KALIBO, Aklan – The Sanguniang Bayan (SB) wants to regulate the domestication of birds near the vicinity of the Kalibo International Airport (KIA).
Raising and breeding of pigeons and other bird species will now be regulated within the 2.5 kilometer radius of KIA under a newly approved municipal ordinance.
Bird owners within the area will also be required to secure a barangay permit.
Councilor Cynthia Dela Cruz, chairwoman of the SB committee on health and environment, said the ordinance is aimed at preventing accidents that happen when birds enter the aircraft engines.
Dela Cruz said the birds are “aviation hazards.”
“Planes are vulnerable to bird strikes during take-off or initial climb and descending or landing due to the existence of a greater number of birds at a lower level , which is approximately 2,000 feet,” said Dela Cruz.
The number of birds near the area must be controlled to prevent “malfunctioning of aircraft,” like “directional control problems” or “temporary loss of control,” the ordinance stated.
Before Boracay closed, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines reported that KIA accommodates an average of 40 flights daily.
“In the best interest of safety of domestic and international air travelers flying in and out of Kalibo, as well as the general welfare of our residents and the general public, there is a need to ensure the air safety radius of the Kalibo International Airport is free from all aviation hazards,” Dela Cruz stressed./PN
