Outage outrage: Enrile wants all airport execs fired

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos should fire all airport officials following another embarrassing power outage at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Friday, according to Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile.

In his television program yesterday, Enrile said the President should no longer accept the apology of airport officials and replace them with those who are “more sensitive” to the plight of the people.

“The apology should not be accepted. Fire all of them and replace them with people more sensitive to their reputation and sensitive to their job and sensitive to the plight of the public. We give them jobs to support their families but they have to protect it by working their ass if necessary,” Enrile said. 

“When you enter public service, you must swear that you will faithfully discharge your duties, the powers of the position that you are given and all others that you will get or receive in the government. You should not be sleeping on the job,” Enrile, speaking partly in Filipino, added.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) apologized to the public following Friday’s power outage at the NAIA Terminal 3, which is the fourth such incident since last September.

A Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines statement said the power outage lasted from 12:52 p.m. to 1:28 p.m. and that no flight was canceled as a result of it. However, seven flights were delayed.

The incidents also caused long lines at the immigration counters, CAAP spokesnan Eric Apolonio said.

Following the power outage in September, an air traffic system failure also disrupted operations at the NAIA on Jan. 1, affecting over 56,000 passengers and more than 300 inbound and outbound flights.
On May 1, over 40 flights at the NAIA Terminal 3 were canceled and delayed as the terminal experienced another power outage.

Be extra early

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has issued a reminder to departing travelers from NAIA this weekend, urging them to check in early to prevent delays as a surge in passenger traffic is expected this month.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco underscored the importance of passengers checking in at least three hours before their flight and proceeding directly for immigration inspection.

“There is an expected increase in the number of passengers this month as more and more people are traveling post-COVID and apart from this, the eventual transfer of passengers from NAIA Terminal 2 to other terminals will definitely add to the bulk of travelers,” Tansingco said.

Each immigration officer is processing approximately 247 passengers during a 10-hour shift.

“Unlike airports in other countries, our current facilities are more limited,” said Tansingco. “Hence, we are thankful to airport authorities for their commitment to increase the space at the immigration area for us to be able to deploy more passengers.”— Rudy Santos, Mark Ernest Villeza