NAIA cleared of beggars

MANILA, Philippines — The authorities at Ninoy Aquino International Airport said Wednesday they arrested 85 beggars and solicitors in a 12 day operation.

The crackdown on the so-called “kalabit-pahingi” or people who pester airline passengers and other airport visitors for money was intensified after an airport security guard was attacked by one solicitor who intruded on the airport premises.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The suspect, Maricel Laraya, was charged by the airport police department with assault on a person of authority in the Pasay City prosecutor’s office after she allegedly kicked, badmouthed and spat on the face of Jaymar Intia, an airport guard who prevented her from entering the parking area at NAIA Terminal 1.

“The intensified campaign against these elusive elements aims to address complaints from airport users who have been victims of their solicitation techniques and ‘quick click’ modus,” Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado said in a statement.

Honrado reported that from June 2 to 16, the MIAA airport police department’s light reaction section apprehended 85 people preying mostly on travelers and well-wishers at the terminal parking lots, greeters area and major thoroughfares leading to NAIA.

Those apprehended were taken to the airport police headquarters for character verification and recording. Minors were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development while adults were the turned over to their village heads, according to airport police chief  Jesus Descanzo.

Honrado instructed the airport police to strictly enforce the ban on the “kalabit-pahingi” and other unauthorized solicitors at the airport premises to make the NAIA complex secure for travelers.

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