PRIME GATEWAY | Foreign tourists arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is launching an investigation of the alleged security gaps at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), which has exposed the country to possible human smuggling, money laundering, and even security breaches, Sen. Grace Poe said on Monday.
Poe, the Senate committee chair on public services, said her panel is jointly holding an inquiry with the blue ribbon committee following the recent incidents surrounding a number of foreigners who were allowed to fly out of the country despite not having undergone security checks.
“[There are many unanswered questions]. First, they have to explain why in some cases, new passengers are added last minute with such quick clearance. But our biggest concern is on security because it was revealed that anyone they allow may be granted access to the restricted security area,” Poe said at a press briefing.
Poe made the remark amid the conflicts in the pronouncements of four agencies involved in airport operations on the Feb. 13 incident, wherein three foreign passengers were purportedly allowed to slip out of the country without prior clearance from authorities.
‘Uncleared’
The senator said the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Bureau of Customs, and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) corroborated each other’s versions of the report that only seven persons flew out of the country on board a Dassault Falcon X8 private jet on the evening of Feb. 13.
But the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group disputed this, insisting that three more “uncleared” passengers boarded the plane and joined the seven who had prior clearance.
“[The BI] said only one foreign passenger was squeezed in but went through clearance, which supposedly explains why the name was handwritten. But normally, when someone is squeezed in, it takes a long time for the BI to check that individual but in this case, it took them only a few minutes and the passenger was allowed to fly right away,” she said.
Citing official reports, Poe said the plane supposedly flew to Dubai before flying to Geneva in Switzerland.
‘Major security risk’
“Even if there’s no case of human smuggling what we are able to uncover here, what was seen here is how very easy it is to enter our restricted area where the tarmac is located, where all the planes are parked; what if someone slipped in a bag of contraband into parked planes? That is a major security risk,” she said.
Poe expressed disgust that no closed-circuit television cameras were installed to allow MIAA to monitor activities at the restricted security area.
Poe also questioned why three immigration personnel had to escort the foreign passengers up to the tarmac, who were different from the signatory of the clearance papers and were not even on official duty that evening.
The senator took to task the MIAA for supposedly issuing clearances to vehicles entering the restricted area simply through a declaration on its make and license plate, with no checks on who and how many were inside it.