Senator Raffy Tulfo on Wednesday criticized the lack of anti-drone technology at various airports and other critical government establishments across the country.

Tulfo’s reaction followed remarks made by Capt. Ian Michael del Castillo from the Operations Department of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) during a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Services.

Del Castillo admitted that such counter-drone measures have not been implemented in the country due to the high cost of the subscription.

Tulfo expressed frustration, stating, “It seems CAAP has failed to take the initiative to explore other ways to protect the lives of millions of passengers and civilians who could be endangered if drones are not properly used.”

“Posibleng maging seryosong banta ito sa ating national security lalo pa’t malaya ang sinuman na makabili at makapagpalipad ng drones sa Pilipinas dahil na rin sa maluwag na regulasyon (This could potentially become a serious threat to our national security, especially since anyone can freely purchase and fly drones in the Philippines due to the loose regulations),” Tulfo warned.

“Maaaring magamit sa terorismo ang drones dahil pwede itong kargahan ng high explosive bombs at ibangga sa mga eroplano o dili kaya ay ibagsak sa matataong lugar (Drones could be used for terrorism, as they can be loaded with high-explosive bombs and crashed into airplanes or dropped in crowded areas),” he added.

Tulfo warned that the lack of counter-drone measures could pose a serious threat to national security.

According to Capt. del Castillo, CAAP lacks expertise in this area as its focus is solely on civil aviation. He also mentioned that they are still studying the possibility of acquiring anti-drone technology, which they estimate will cost $1M USD for the subscription, or roughly P58M per month.

During the hearing, Tulfo agreed with anti-drone solutions expert Billy Pascua’s statement, suggesting that there is an affordable and effective alternative for implementing anti-drone measures at airports, such as utilizing highly trained birds that are specifically trained to chase and take down drones.

Citing research, Pascua said countries like the Netherlands, France, and Ireland are already using eagles for this approach.

Further, Tulfo urged CAAP to study the possibility of obliging commercial airline companies to contribute to subsidizing the acquisition of the anti-drone solution “because their planes are also intended to be protected by it.”

He vowed to closely monitor CAAP's actions until it develops a concrete solution for implementing effective counter-drone measures and establishes regulations for the responsible use of drones in the country.