MIAA defends tighter NAIA security

Amid complaints from passengers about stricter security measures being implemented at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) asked the public to cooperate with its personnel.

“Redundancy checks will remain because [these keep] everyone safe,” MIAA general manager Ed Monreal said in a statement on Monday.

At present, Naia passengers must undergo seven security checks from the time they enter the terminal building until they reach the boarding gates.

Multiple baggage check

Their check-in baggage, on the other hand, are checked four times and escorted by security personnel until these are loaded into airplanes. Additional checks are conducted when screeners notice suspicious-looking items.

Last year, Naia screeners confiscated 2,291 banned items ranging from ammunition shells—often used as amulets—to semi-automatic pistols.

“Security checks should not be perceived as an inconvenience when you have thousands of lives to protect every day. We would rather err on the side of safety than lose them,” Monreal said.

In December, MIAA started to beef up its security measures after the US Transport Security Administration made “observations regarding procedures, processes, equipment and personnel posting at Naia.”