
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) allayed public fears over a bomb threat that gripped commercial airports in the country on Friday, Oct. 6, ensuring that all safety measures were in place to secure air travelers.
DOTr Sec. Jaime Bautista said that the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has instituted measures to ensure the safety of passengers, and secure the flights and facilities at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country's premier airport.
Bautista said that strict foot and mobile patrols were implemented in all terminals of NAIA as additional measures to its security protocols.
"The MIAA is in close coordination with the PNP-AVSEU [Philippine National Police-Aviation Security] and pertinent government law enforcement unit tasked to validate any threat to national security," Bautista said in a statement.
"There are no expected impact to any scheduled flights and we would like to ensure the traveling public that protocols are in place to ensure everyone's safety and security," he added.
Prior to this, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) released an advisory on Friday morning, saying that all 42 commercial airports it supervises were placed on a heightened alert due to a bomb threat.
The CAAP said that its Air Traffic Service received an email that aircraft from Manila, bound to Puerto Princesa, Mactan-Cebu, Bicol, and Davao International Airports "are about to be set off by a bomb."
The CAAP said that it has already coordinated with the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to validate the information as enhanced security measures were immediately implemented across all airports.