When I arrived from Singapore Sunday morning, I was impressed with how everything seemed to be going well, that is, until I got to the Immigration area. There were gleaming new electronic lanes to rival that of Changi Airport, where arriving passengers were lining up. Instead of going to the Senior priority counters, I decided to line up there with the others.

What started as a pleasant surprise turned into disappointment. Passenger after passenger had to be diverted to an “assistance counter” where they were processed by an immigration officer the traditional way. Likewise, when it was my turn, I scanned my passport and when it said to scan my boarding pass, the machine stalled and started all over again. It must have been the same experience for the scores of arrivals who had to line up anew at the “assistance counter.”

Evidently, the electronic processing machines had been hurriedly rolled out without having been tested and found to be reliable. It was far from the Changi experience where there were no lines even with many arrivals and the machines worked reliably. We were out of the airport in less than half an hour from deplaning. Let’s just say that we’re far from a similar experience for now.

That incident may be just a technological glitch, and hopefully the Immigration people can sort it out quickly. But it just adds up to the many unpleasant encounters by too many people at our premier airport.

We can recall the tanim-bala incidents, which we thought were a thing of the past, until it happened again recently. Fortunately for the intended victim, she had the presence of mind to record the encounter on video, thus providing incontrovertible proof of malfeasance. DOTr secretary Vince Dizon must be commended for acting swiftly and firing the erring employees.

Last time I heard, there weren’t any incidents of theft of incoming luggage contents. But that’s certainly an area to watch out for, considering the many opportunities to do so.

Just last week, there was an incident that went viral online. A newly married couple had their wedding rings, a diamond necklace and a pair of earrings in a jewelry box fall from the bride’s hand carry tote and it went missing.

She flew back to Manila and spent weeks trying to recover the missing jewelry. Due to her determined effort and the cooperation of the Airport Police, the items were recovered. Of course, this took an emotional toll on the couple who could have started married life on a very sour note.

What was harrowing about the case were the details uncovered during the two weeks-long search. The bride reviewed 36 hours of CCTV footage only to find out that the jewelry box that was initially seen by an airline agent on the gate table, had been mishandled, to put it mildly, by several airline and security personnel. It was apparently passed around by several people (around 10, according to the complainant), but nobody bothered to report it to the Lost and Found Department.

Although the contents were said to be intact initially, one ring after the other went missing, and even the entire jewelry box was purloined. Fortunately for the distressed bride, she eventually recovered the box and its remaining contents. It was taken home by one of the airline personnel.

According to the reports, the rings were returned only after she threatened to file charges against all involved. A security staff member admitted to taking the husband’s ring and gave it back. The bride’s ring was hidden under a table at the same gate where it went missing, which was relayed by an anonymous text message to escape accountability.

What is so distressing about the whole incident, if we are to believe the complainant, is the glaring lack of decency and integrity of those involved in the misadventure above. Evidently, they had no compunction in appropriating an item that wasn’t theirs, only to be forced to return them since their deed was recorded on CCTV.

The couple is crying out for justice and accountability. They spent valuable time and resources to recover the stolen items. The least airport authorities, including the airlines involved, should do is to conduct public hearings and discipline/dismiss the erring staff. So, far, I have not read or heard anything more on this issue a week or so after the disclosure.

There is so much to be done in our airports. Whether it be technological, structural or procedural, there has to be change. But this is a moral issue. Some janitors have been commended for returning millions of pesos in cash, yet more well-off staff steal. This calls for a reboot in morality. Without integrity, everything else is meaningless. Trust must be restored.