Name-droppers invade NAIA

Name-droppers invoking the name of former Tarlac Rep. Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. are scrambling for the remaining vacant posts at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) resulting in confusion and hampering airport operations.

This developed as a certain Capt. Fredelito Juane, a pilot and a flying school operator, stormed into the office of Air Transportation Office (ATO) chief, Jake Ortega, and told him to vacate his post in his favor.

Juane told Ortega that he was sent by Cojuangco to take over the post of ATO chief while awaiting official designation from Malacañang.

Cojuangco, however, denied that he had sent Juane to take over ATO, adding that "we don’t interfere in the matter of appointments in the new government."

Cojuangco, who heads the Council on Philippine Affairs (COPA), had earlier complained that not one of his followers had been appointed to a key government position, although he said his group was the first to come out against former President Estrada.

It appeared that Cojuangco sent Juane to the ATO in an attempt to beat 13 other aspirants.

Ortega, however, said that he is ready to leave his post, pointing to three balikbayan boxes containing his personal possessions sitting in the corner of his office.

"I am ready to leave anytime once the official call from Malacañang relieving me is confirmed," Ortega said.

Among the aspirants for the post of ATO chief are former air force chief William Hotchkiss, former ATO chief Capt. Panfilo Villaruel and ATO executive director Capt. Rolando Luna, said to be a relative of Sen. Renato Cayetano.

Earlier, police Chief Superintendent Florencio Fianza had taken it upon himself to take over the NAIA, giving instructions to NAIA officials and personnel on how to go about their duties and impressed on them that he was the new airport general manager, although he had no appointment papers to show.

There were also some men who claimed that they were sent by Malacañang to take over some sensitive positions at the NAIA. But they were all ignored because they could not show appointment papers from the Palace.

"We are ready to leave, but we are waiting for our legitimate successors," said some NAIA officials.

In another development, new airport General Manager Edgardo Manda had barely warmed his seat when one of his security aides, actor turned policeman, Jovit Moya, was accused by airport personnel of allegedly "throwing his weight around."

Moya allegedly cursed two private security guards for stopping the general manager’s vehicle at the entrance of the NAIA administration building Wednesday morning and threatened to run them over if this ever happened again.

One of the guards, Gerald Tanieza, said that Moya got down from the vehicle, a Mitsubishi Strada, and started cursing them after they had flagged down his vehicle for routine inspection.

"He told us never to stop their vehicle because it belonged to GM Edgardo Manda and reminded us to jot down the plate number to make sure that we don’t commit the same mistake again," Tanieza said in his official report.

The other guard told Moya that they were only following the instruction of then airport General Manager Antonio Gana to inspect all vehicles entering the compound of the administration building.

But Moya refused to accept the explanation and shouted at the guards that Gana was no longer the airport general manager and, therefore his orders were no longer valid.

Moya was also reported to have ordered officials assigned at the airport pass control section to have their access identifications cards ready in 30 minutes.