SEN. Grace Poe yesterday urged the Office of Transportation Safety (OTS) to sack and charge its personnel involved in the alleged robbery of a male Thai tourist at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last February 22.
In an interview with the Senate media, Poe said placing erring personnel on preventive suspension is just a standard operating procedure (SOP) while an investigation is ongoing, but those found liable should be meted with harsher punishments like dismissal from service, aside from being held criminally and administratively liable.
Poe was referring to a video clip which went viral on social media sites where a male transit Thai tourist bound for Japan was reportedly robbed by the OTS agent of some Y20,000 equivalent to around P8,000 while at the NAIA Terminal 2.
In a press release, the OTS said the video purportedly showed “a departing foreign national requesting the Security Screening Officer (SSO) to return the money taken from him… which the latter was seen handing over to the passenger.”
Ma-o Aplasca, OTS chief, said there were actually five personnel suspected to be involved in the incident and they are now the subject of investigation. He said criminal and administrative charges will be filed against those who will be found liable for the alleged robbery.
Poe said she felt ashamed of herself as a Filipino after watching the video as this is yet another shameful act which will damage NAIA’s reputation.
On New Year’s Day, hundreds of flights were either diverted or cancelled after the Airport Traffic Management System experienced a technical glitch, while some two weeks back, Poe exposed a human smuggling activity supposedly perpetrated by airport personnel using private planes.
She said this latest incident at the airport will cause a dent in the country’s image in the international community.
“Isa pang bagay doon ay turista na nga, Thai national na pumunta dito sa atin tapos ganito pa ang karanasan. Kung sino pa ang security escort na dapat po-protekta sa atin ay sila pa ang gumagawa ng kalokohan (One more thing… the Thai national went to our country and yet he had a bad experience with a security personnel who was supposed to provide security to tourists),” Poe said.
She said one of her staff members also lost an Apple watch while at the screening area of NAIA Terminal 3 around two months ago, but the staff member was not able to report the incident.
