Dizon inspects NAIA ahead of Undas; flag delays in CCTV turnover
MANILA — Around 1.2 million passengers are expected at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 for Undas, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said on Friday.
Dizon said the surge of passengers at NAIA is anticipated on Friday and Saturday ahead of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
The transport chief inspected NAIA Terminal 1 to ensure the safety and convenience of passengers who will transit the airport.
Dizon flagged the 1.5-year delay of the turnover of closed-circuit television (CCTV) from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to private operator New NAIA Infra Corp.
“Simpleng-simple ang problema dito. May nanakawan, hindi natin makita-kita sa CCTV tapos kayong lahat, nagtuturuan kayong lahat. Diyan ako nabubwisit sa inyo,” he told officials during the inspection.
Recently, millions worth of items were stolen from a tourist at NAIA Terminal 1.
Dizon said the suspect has been identified and the stolen items have been recovered. He apologized to the affected tourist.
“Humihingi tayo ng paumanhin du’n sa turista dahil hindi tama ‘yun. Tayo nga, nag-a-attract tayo ng turista tapos biglang kararating-rating pa lang dito sa Pilipinas ay nakaw agad ang ma-e-experience tapos napakalaki pa ng value,” he said in a chance interview.
Dizon, however, lauded the improvements at the airport, emphasizing the advantage of public-private partnership.
He noted that the e-gates expedite the clearance process.
“Ang sabi sa akin, 18 seconds ang time and motion niyan,” he said. “Irerekomenda ko sa ating Pangulo [Ferdinand Marcos Jr.] na i-mandate na lahat ng Pilipino, whether OFW (overseas Filipino worker) o hindi OFW, lahat ng turista, basta mag-fill up tayong lahat ng e-travel, pwede nang gumamit ng e-gate.”
Based on MIAA’s latest data, there were 436,121 passengers from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29.
Dizon assured that NAIA is ready to cater passengers. But he warned them to be on alert, especially of those who may take advantage of them.