MIAA eyes removal of gang chairs at NAIA T-3 after Holy Week
Following the pullout of bug-infested rattan chairs, the steel gang chairs stationed at the arrival area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 will also be removed by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to avoid loiterers and potential criminal activities, a top official said.
In a press conference with the Airport Press Club, MIAA General Manager Jose Eric Ines said the gang chairs will be pulled out "after the Holy Week" upon the request of the terminal manager.
According to Ines, the area where the gang chairs are located has become a place where some people just sleep or kill time. Worse, he said it opens the possibility of individuals with ill intentions to commit crimes against well-wishers who are welcoming or sending off their loved ones.
"Napupuno na. 'Yung iba well-wishers pero 'yung iba, tambay na lang. Masarap daw kasi aircon. We are not totally discouraging [that] but after maghatid, sana ay umalis na kaagad (The area is getting packed. Some of them are well-wishers but others are there just to idle. They said it’s nice to kill time there since it is airconditioned. We are not totally discouraging [that] but after sending off, please leave immediately),” he noted.
According to Ines, MIAA senior assistant general manager Beng Reyes went incognito at the airport one time and chanced upon a man sleeping on the gang chairs. Reyes allegedly asked the man if he was waiting for a passenger but it turned out that he was just there “to sleep and enjoy the aircon.”
Ines appealed to the public to avoid going to the airport terminal in throngs and staying in the departure or arrival area longer than they should, saying the number of people loitering, slumped and sleeping on the floors has become an “unattractive sight” and a problem for those maintaining order and security in the area.
Another problem that is being posed by allowing too many people in the said area is that it is difficult to "distinguish legitimate well-wishers from those with ill or criminal intent," Ines said.
“'Wag na mag-loiter kasi mahirap ma-distinguish kung sino sa mga naroon ang iba ang pakay (Avoid loitering because it’s hard to distinguish who among them have ill intention)," Ines stressed.
In the past, Ines said there had been cases of theft in the area which were perpetrated by criminal elements blending in with individuals waiting for airport passengers to come out.
The airport GM said that with the expected surge of passengers this Holy Week, additional uniformed policemen and security personnel will be deployed to provide added protection to the passengers and airport visitors, and until such time that the gang chairs are removed.