Palace says incident on Palau president minor

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang is treating the incident involving the president of Palau at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as a minor one that should not be blown out of proportion.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye downplayed the incident which caused a delay in the return flight to Palau of President Tommy Remengesau who had just concluded his state visit to the Philippines.

Bunye, however, admitted that the incident should be looked into by the proper authorities.

“Certainly this will have to be looked into,” Bunye said.

Remengesau was stranded for several hours in Manila last Wednesday night when he was not allowed to board a Palau-bound Continental Airlines flight after he refused to be frisked by airline security personnel.

Airport officials and protocol officers were not able to convince the airline officials to exempt Remengesau from the security procedure, considering that he was a head of state.

Palau Ambassador to the Philippines Ramon Rechebei said the Philippine government had apologized for the incident and paid for the private aircraft that transported Remengesau and his delegation back to Palau.

Remengesau expressed disappointment over the refusal of airline officials to allow him to board a flight without being frisked.

“I would have expected that the airline would honor internationally recognized protocols regarding heads of state as well as show some sensitivity to our Pacific culture,” Remengesau said in a statement posted on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“I am well aware of security concerns that airlines face and I support their efforts to keep flying safe, but there must be some room for the exercise of common sense in all decisions, and there must be respect for the dignity of the highest level of government,” he added.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin said that based on his own knowledge, it was the first time such an incident happened involving a foreign dignitary visiting the Philippines.

“We will find out what happened and we will not be reluctant to say we’re sorry,” he said.

“The general rule is that no one should be exempted from security checks. But they should take note of the fact that the one boarding the aircraft is a head of state. He is not a terrorist. He is a President and there is such a thing as courtesy. They should extend courtesy to a head of state,” he added.

Remengesau’s visit was the first official state visit made by a Palau head of state to the Philippines in 24 years.

The meeting of Remengesau with President Arroyo resulted in the signing of agreements on air services, healthcare, telecommunications, and higher education.

“Our delegation thanks President Arroyo and the government of the Philippines for the first class treatment we received the moment we set foot in the Philippines, especially their generous offer to provide our delegation a chartered flight to Palau. We hope to have the opportunity to host President Arroyo and her delegation in Palau soon,” Remengesau said. – Marvin Sy, Reinir Padua