2 Chinese tourists held for altercation on flight

CEBU CITY, Philippines  – Police questioned at least 12 Chinese nationals at the Cebu International Airport for allegedly attacking the brother-in-law of President Aquino yesterday.

Police detained the group after one of them allegedly tried to choke Eldon Cruz, husband of Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz, the President’s eldest sister.

Initial reports from Cebu indicated the Cruz couple was on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J-563 from Manila when they got into an argument with the group of Chinese tourists.

During the flight to Cebu, the group became noisy and roudy, prompting Cruz to warn them, a report said.

The commotion started when one of the Chinese tourists reportedly resented Cruz’s gesture and started choking him.

Some passengers and crew intervened, initial reports said.

When the plane landed, operatives of the 7th Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS) detained the Chinese tourists, including two women, for questioning.

The couple, on the other hand, proceeded to Cebu without filing any formal complaint.

But initial reports reaching the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame stated two Chinese tourists were detained after figuring in an altercation with one of Ballsy’s staff during the flight.

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz stressed Ballsy was not aboard the plane when the incident happened. He did not say whether Eldon was on board and figured in the scuffle.

Cruz said former Transportation and Communication secretary Pete Prado was on the plane. Prado is Ballsy’s chief of staff.

The PNP report identified the two Chinese as Han Yan, 31, and a certain Mailiyasi, who were arrested after disembarking from the Cebu Pacific flight.

The report said the two Chinese became unruly during the parlor game held by the cabin crew for the passengers.

The two men later engaged in an altercation with a staff member of Prado’s party, but the report, did not identify the staff.

Prado sought the assistance of airport security when the plane landed in Cebu. The guards then asked assistance from officers of the Aviation Security Group that arrested the two foreigners.

The report said Prado also asked the police officers at the airport to hold the two Chinese and their 10 other companions while a formal complaint is being prepared against them.

Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, issued a statement saying the incident “is being addressed by the concerned parties.”

“Cebu Pacific will cooperate with the authorities as necessary,” they said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said the incident was already “appropriately” handled.

“The incident has already been appropriately handled in the spirit of goodwill and mutual understanding by the parties involved,” Chinese embassy spokesman Ethan Sun Yi said.

Sun Yi did not comment further on the incident.

Initial reports also said the pilot of the plane volunteered to serve as the complainant.

There were other reports that the Cruz couple did not manifest interest in pressing charges against the foreigners.

On the other hand, Nigel Paul Villarete, Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) general manager, said they would monitor the developments in the investigation against the Chinese tourists.

Villarete though refused to comment further, saying he did not want to encroach on the jurisdiction of the PCAS, which is currently investigating the incident.

He stressed the incident did not cause any commotion at the airport. – Niña Sumacot/The Freeman, Mike Frialde, Pia Lee-Brago