MIAA to field traffic aides to decongest roads towards NAIA

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) plans to field personnel to decongest terminal roads in the country’s premier airport.

MIAA assistant general manager for security and emergency services Jesus Gordon Descanzo said that they have been planning to launch a pilot of the project at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 3 with 36 personnel.

“We are still in the process of accepting applicants interested in becoming traffic aides,” Descanzo said.  He added he could not say at this point if the MIAA could undertake the project’s test-run by December or early next year.

According to Descanzo, the traffic aides still have to undergo training before they are deployed.

The MIAA official said the traffic aides would be limited to the terminal areas where they would ensure that motorists abide by the two-minute rule in unloading and loading passengers and baggage to avoid obstructing the terminal driveway.

Likewise, they could also help clear terminal roads of public utility vehicles illegally picking up and unloading passengers.

“They will primarily be concerned with ensuring the orderly vehicular traffic in the terminals,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.  Major roads outside the terminals remain within the jurisdiction of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and local government traffic enforcers, according to Descanzo.

While NAIA terminal traffic also falls within the responsibility of security guards and personnel of the Airport Police Department (APD), Descanzo said that the traffic aides would provide them additional support.

A source requesting anonymity for not having been authorized to speak on the matter said that the MIAA has been planning to hire over 100 job order personnel to act as traffic aides.

The idea, the source said, would be to completely transfer traffic chores from security guards and APD members to these traffic aides.

“This would enable the airport security forces to focus solely in securing NAIA,” she explained.  SFM