REP. Marissa Magsino (PL, OFW) has filed a resolution seeking an investigation into the presence of pests like bedbugs and rats at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which another lawmaker believes could be used by President Marcos Jr.’s political opponents to destabilize his administration.
Magsino filed House Resolution No. 1615, which also seeks to look into the failure of the airport’s pest control and maintenance systems and as well as the long queues at immigration checking counters.
“We recognize that the officials of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) immediately addressed the complaints on bed bugs, rats, and cockroaches in NAIA.
However, given the repeated problems in NAIA and its tag as one of the world’s worst airports, we have to look into the compounded issues, more so since NAIA has revenues to address basic operational concerns such as sanitation and congestion,” Magsino said.
The lawmaker said the country’s image as a tourism destination has long been taking a beating because of the condition of the country’s airports, which, she said, is not only a gateway for tourism but also serves as “a door to the migration corridors between the Philippines and hist countries.”
Magsino said she filed the resolution to push for NAIA’s competitiveness “as an international gateway and safeguard the interests of passengers, especially our OFWs.”
She said the increasing passenger traffic at NAIA has led to the congestion within the airport complex and surrounding roads, noting that the passenger volume reportedly exceeds its design capacity by 40 percent, leading to runway congestion and delayed flights.
“These result in travel inconvenience, fuel wastage, and risks of missed flight schedules, especially for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who have to comply with strict deployment schedules and return-to-work orders,” Magsino said.
While plans for the establishment of a new international airport and the privatization of NAIA are underway, Magsino said immediate measures must be taken to address maintenance and housekeeping deficiencies, streamline immigration processing, and enhance traffic routing within the airport premises.
Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon (PL, Ako Bicol), an assistant majority leader, said the recent viral videos posted showing bedbugs and rodents plaguing the airport could be used in a “concerted effort to discredit the administration of President Bongbong Marcos Jr.”
Bongalon said the fact that viral pest stories were posted in succession might mean there is an effort to discredit the Marcos administration by encouraging criticisms of the country’s airports.
“Posible po ba na maging destabilization ito laban sa present government? Posible po. (Is it possible for this to turn into a destabilization against the present government? It’s possible). That is my take,” Bongalon said.
Bongalon said the airport’s management and NAIA officials should issue a certification that the airports are now pest-free “because, again, this will put the administration in a bad light.”
He likened the controversy to the “tanim-bala” modus in the past when some corrupt airport officials intentionally dropped bullets in the luggage of passengers to extort money.
Rep. Erwin Tulfo (PL, ACT-CIS), a deputy majority leader for communications, said the NAIA management has no one to blame but itself. “Mukhang napapansin ko ho marami ang janitor doon pero wala hong pest control (I’ve noticed that while there are a lot of janitors there, there’s no pest control),” he said.
Tulfo noted that the NAIA facilities are already old and the airport management should also look at making renovations for the sake of the country’s reputation to tourists.