Duterte threatens to fire airport execs if luggage theft happens again

President Rodrigo Duterte INQUIRER.net file photo

President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to fire airport officials if the luggage theft incident at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga happens again.

“The next time, if it happens, I will fire you. Sigurado ‘yan. Basta may nangyari pa ulit na maski nakawan o ano, I will fire you,” Duterte told airport officials during a meeting at Malacanang on Thursday.

(For sure, if this thing happens again, whether robbery or anything like that, I will fire you.)

Duterte met with Clark International Airport Corp. acting President Alexander Cauguiran, airport and transport officials and the recent victim of luggage theft Jovinal dela Cruz.

Six employees of a ground handling firm Miascor assigned at the Clark International Airport were terminated and are facing administrative charges after he pilfer the luggage of Dela Cruz.

READ: Clark airport exec suspends 6 employees tagged in luggage theft incident

Dela Cruz uploaded a video on Facebook on Wednesday where he expressed his dismay after he discovered his luggage and boxes were pilfered.

“Itong nangyari kahapon (this, that happened yesterday), I would demand that there will be justice instantly. Kung sino ‘yung provider, service provider diyan, you terminate the contract and look for another one,” Duterte said.  “And so for the other airports in the country, I do not want it repeated ever again.”

The President ordered airport officials to make a public apology to the complainant as he apologized to the victim.

“So I would also demand that the airport authorities should call the complainant and make amends, maybe in public to apologize for the sloppy job that we are doing. Matagal na kasi ito eh (this has been long enough),” he said.

“So I deeply apologize. We will pay whatever your losses,” he added.

Cauguiran told Duterte that charges have been filed against the suspects in the luggage theft incident.

Cauguiran had earlier said that Miascor has compensated Dela Cruz for the lost items in his luggage amounting to P84,000. /jpv