LGBT ‘watusi’ talk delays flight from Bacolod airport

Bacolod, Negros Occidental map. INQUIRER FILES

BACOLOD CITY — A Bacolod-Manila flight was delayed at the Bacolod-Silay Airport for almost two hours because of a misinterpretation of an LGBT conversation inside an aircraft on Saturday morning, Oct. 19.

In a report on Sunday, Oct. 20, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesman Eric Apolonio said the incident involved two male passengers inside Cebu Pacific Flight 5J486 at 11:10 a.m.

During a conversation between the two, one said “Oi, naubos na ba ‘yong watusi mo? (Hey, did you run out of watusi),” a reference to a condom in the LGBTQ community language.

The term “watusi” is also locally known as a firecracker.

A cabin crew member, who was nearby fixing overhead luggage, overheard the conversation.

Concerned about the potential reference to a firecracker, she approached the passenger to clarify the meaning of “watusi.”

The passenger explained to the cabin crew member that he was referring to a condom and apologized if his words were inappropriate within the aircraft.

The cabin crew member immediately reported the matter to the pilot-in-command who then informed the Cebu Pacific management.

As a precaution, the airline decided to deplane all passengers and cargo for a K9 bomb-sniffing inspection and security paneling.

At 11:20 a.m., Robert Rodillas, team leader of the K9 unit at the Bacolod-Silay Airport, arrived at the scene.

The team conducted a thorough inspection of all luggage, hand-carry items, and the aircraft cabin.

By 1 p.m., the Cebu Pacific Flight 5J486 was cleared and departed for Manila without further incident.

At 1:21 p.m. the Cebu Pacific Bacolod staff members rebooked the two males involved on Flight 5J488, the CAAP report said.

READ: Bomb threat disrupts Manila-bound flight at Bacolod-Silay Airport