Ex-lawmaker in viral 2018 NAIA incident named Tesda deputy director-general

MANILA, Philippines — Former ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III, who figured in a 2018 viral video for flouting security protocols at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), has been named as deputy director-general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed this in a statement Monday.

“Mr. Bertiz was the Representative of ACTS-OFW Partylist, and with the repatriation of thousands of overseas Filipino workers to the country, Mr. Bertiz has a huge task to fulfill, which is, to provide these returning Filipinos quality-assured and inclusive technical education and skills development, as envisioned by Tesda,” Roque said.

“We hope that everyone would support DDG (Deputy Director-General) Bertiz as he begins his new assignment in this extraordinary time,” he added.

In 2018, Bertiz drew flak for harassing an Office of Transportation Security (OTS) officer and refusing to take off his shoes at the airport’s final screening area prior to his departure.

The incident prompted Bertiz to apologize for his behavior, citing his “monthly period.”

Prior to the incident, Bertiz also figured in a separate viral video where he joked during a Professional Regulation Commission oath-taking event that inductees who didn’t know former Special Assistant to President and now Senator Christopher “Bong” Go won’t get their professional license.