Here's a sliver of the "old normal" at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
After more than a year of closure, the Duty Free store at NAIA Terminal 1--that familiar nook of chocolates, perfumes, and other pasalubong items--has reopened.
"We encourage our balikbayans, especially overseas contract workers. You can shop again here in NAIA Terminal 1 for pasalubongs for your family," Duty Free Philippines Manager Ric Aguila said on Friday, May 21.
Aguila said all the items in the store are new and fresh. He noted that the goods that had expired the past year during its closure as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have all been disposed of.
The Manila Bulletin learned that the Duty Free shop at NAIA Terminal 3 also opened two days ago, but closed again due to limited sales.
The current passenger arrival cap at the country’s premier gateway is 2,000. The restrictions have to do with efforts to contain the spread of the dreaded COVID-19.