Aviation official clears name in fake license controversy

A ranking official of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Friday came forward to clear his name in the proliferation of fake pilot licenses in the Philippines. Daniel Dimagiba, CAAP deputy director general for operations, said his signature appearing on the fake licenses was merely forged by those producing the counterfeit document. Authorities’ scrutiny of his signature had already proven that the ones found on the licenses were not genuine, he said. Earlier, the CAAP said it would be investigating and auditing 63 aviation schools that have graduates holding these fake licenses. Dimagiba claimed that as an "organic official" of the CAAP, some people in the agency were considering him a "threat" to CAAP director general Alfonso Cusi, and that there are individuals trying to discredit him. However, being suspected of having a hand in the proliferation of counterfeit pilot licenses was not something new to Dimagiba. He said that he had once been probed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in 1991, regarding a similar incident of a fake pilot license found in the hands of a foreigner. No one was found guilty in the incident, Dimagiba said in a press conference, as the supposed "syndicate" continues to operate because it is being backed by some CAAP officials. He, however, did not name any official. Dimagiba insisted he could never be involved in such illegal acts, adding that he has been calling for the computerization of license processing at the CAAP, similar to the one undertaken by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). He said he has even suggested to make aviation licensure examinations in the Philippines more difficult, to fine-tune the screening process of picking pilots. Some graduates have managed to take eight licensure examinations in a day, which in reality should be administered in three to four days, the CAAP said. These “fake" pilots may have paid $30,000 to $40,000 to obtain their licenses without undergoing actual training and examination, the agency added. - MDM, RJAB Jr./JV, GMANews.TV