These 2 solons urge DOTr to check on airports' security facilities
Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Dutere (left) and Benguet lone district Rep. Eric Go Yap
With airports back to being busy, congressmen are prodding the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to look into the status of airport security facilities to lessen congestion at passenger terminals and at the same time heighten public safety measures. Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Dutere and Benguet lone district Rep. Eric Go Yap filed House Resolution (HR) No. 921 for this purpose, on top of studying the upgrade of such facilities. Duterte and Yap noted that the easing of health and safety protocols on travel has led to a significant rise in airline passenger growth especially during holiday seasons. “The consistent congestion in these airports necessitates an increase and advancement in airport security facilities and equipment, particularly full body scanners and baggage scanners, in order to serve a larger number of people as well as ensure public safety in the exercise of every citizen’s right to travel,” the resolution stated. In pressing the DOTr to address the congestion and delays in airports, the two solons said that this is “part of the duties and functions of the House of Representatives...to revisit and scrutinize existing laws, regulations, and circumstances that affect the country’s passengers as well as public order and safety". The measure asks the DOTr to "look into the current status of airport security facilities and equipment of the country’s airport terminals, particularly their full body scanners and baggage scanners, and to include in its budget proposal for the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP) the provision of the said airport security equipment that shall be allocated in all airport terminals in the country'. Airlines have been encouraging passengers to check in online or go to the airport as early as five to six hours before their flights to avoid delays and long queues, especially during peak seasons, owing to the usual congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other airports in the country. The NAIA recorded a total of 10,855,332 passengers in the first three months of 2023--a 158 percent increase compared to the 4,200,575 passengers that traveled through the country's primary gateway during the same period in 2022, according to reports quoting officials of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).