THE Parañaque city government has expressed support to the proposal of Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) general manager Jose Angel A. Honrado to ban the breeding of pigeons and any other bird species within the 13-kilometer radius of the airport.

According to Joseph Agustin, officer in charge of the Airport Grounds Operations and Safety Division, Parañaque Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. had written Honrado to lend the city administration’s cooperation in fast-tracking the approval of the proposed ordinance.

“We are now in close coordination with councilor Ricardo Baes, the main author of the proposed ordinance, and by early next week, we shall have furnished [Honrado] the final draft of the proposed legislation,” Agustin said.

Baes originally proposed to increase the existing 1-mile radius of the ordinance to 2.5 miles, prohibiting the breeding, raising and domestication of pigeons and other bird species, as well as kite-flying, use of laser lights and operation of remote-controlled scale model aircraft.

But after a consultative meeting attended by airport and various airline officers held at the Miaa office, Agustin said they have unanimously suggested extending the ban to 13 kilometers from the airport, as practiced under international standards.

“General manager Honrado’s primary concern is to really prevent a disaster to happen, and the passage of this proposed measure assures everybody that their safety is our utmost priority,” Agustin said.

He added Honrado had instructed his men “to exhaust all means to improve their bird hazard mitigating measures, and coordinating efforts with neighboring local government units to address the issue.”

The stakeholders’ meeting, according to Agustin, had likewise agreed to form a so-called Bird Strike Committee, an interoffice coordinating arm to be chaired by Honrado and would be composed of representatives from all domestic airline firms.

(Recto Mercene)