Expect to see Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in the aftermath of the embarrassing theft committed by some members of the Office of Transportation Security (OTS).
Thus, bared House Speaker and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez in a statement Tuesday afternoon, March 7.
Romualdez shared this information following a meeting late Monday afternoon, March 6 at the House of Representatives with transportation officials, includiig Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista, OTS Administrator Undersecretary Ma. O Ranada Aplasca, and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Cesar Chiong.y
Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, also attended the meeting.
Romualdez said that the PCG personnel will "provide another layer of safeguard" at the airport. They will be assigned to accompany airport screening personnel on duty, he said.
The OTS staff man the X-rays and screening areas at the NAIA--the country’s main gateway.
During the meeting, the Speaker reiterated his disappointment over the theft committed by some personnel of the OTS on a Thai tourist's belongings.
“We cannot let this embarrassing incident fester and continue to discourage tourists from visiting our very beautiful country. But the OTS has recognized that there is indeed a problem and that it needs to be addressed at the soonest possible time,” the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) president said.
“The OTS also agreed to punish erring personnel and to put in place appropriate measures to stop and discourage illegal behavior of their staff. They recognized its existence and they decided to do something about it,” Romualdez said.
He said the OTS has proposed the use of body cameras to monitor in real-time the activities of the airport security personnel, as well as immigration officers, on duty.
With around 1,200 OTS workers in various airports in the country working in three shifts, the OTS alone would need around 500 body cameras to equip the on-duty personnel.
Likewise, Romualdez said the DOTr and the OTS proposed the installation of additional e-gates in the airports to minimize personal interaction of security personnel with tourists and other travelers.
The DOTr and the OTS officials said they would submit to the Speaker the specific plans for the corrective measures they would undertake to address the problem.
“I hope this would somehow cushion any backlash from that embarrassing incident, and that tourists will still choose to visit the Philippines and not be discouraged by the act of erring personnel. We will monitor closely the corrective actions of the DOTr and the OTS to ensure all travelers in and out of our country get the honest and efficient service that they deserve," Romualdez said.