THE top official of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) has taken a leave of absence so as not to influence aviation experts’ findings regarding the alleged missing power cables in the Clark Civil Aviation Complex.

CIAC President Victor Jose I. Luciano began his leave of absence from Oct. 24 to Nov. 6, 2011.

A team of experts from the Office of Transportation and Safety, an agency under the transportation department, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will conduct an impartial and competent assessment of the runways, taxiways and the entire airfield to determine the status of the alleged stolen power cables.

“We welcome any investigation as to the alleged missing power cables. What is important is that safety and security of the Clark airport was not compromised. The airport operates smoothly,” said Luciano.

Luciano has also requested an internal investigation by the Board Committee on the issue regarding the power cables.

Luciano is in Baguio City to attend the three-day conference workshop of all CEOs under the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

The CIAC Engineering Department and the Security Department belied that there were cable theft incidents inside the Clark airport. The alleged missing power cables are just remnants of the old power lines that were pilfered in the past, the CIAC said.

Pilferage was reportedly rampant even before Luciano took over as head of the Clark airport.

“The safety and security of the Clark airport were not compromised,” said CIAC Security Department Manager Jose Marlowe Pedregosa.

He said that “no aviation security protocol was breached because the four people who went in actually stayed for 10 hours and properly escorted by our aviation security. All the time, they were supervised by the CIAC aviation security team.”

 The CIAC said that the pilferage was reported by its Vice President for Operations Reynaldo Catacutan.