2 witnesses shed light on siege of airport tower

The lives of 40,000 airline passengers were not at risk when former Air Transportation Office (ATO) chief Capt. Panfilo Villaruel took over the airport tower last Nov. 8.

This was according to two witnesses who were summoned by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to shed light on the killing of Villaruel and his subordinate, Navy Lt. Ricardo Gatchalliar.

The two witnesses were among those on-duty at the air control tower when the seige took place.

The witnesses also noted that minutes after the take-over, another control tower at the Fire and Rescue Building has been set up as alternative.

So the air control tower, which Villaruel and Gatchalliar took over, has been rendered useless and therefore did not place the lives of airline passengers coming and leaving the airport at risk, said an agent of the bureau.

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) operatives claimed that Villaruel and Gatchalliar were shot to ensure the safety of about 40,000 airline passengers, who were set to arrive in the country at the time of the siege.Villaruel’s relatives asked the NBI to investigate the killing and possibly the filing of murder charges against the SWAT operatives.

Airport control tower personnel, who were on duty at the time of the take-over, were being blamed for allowing Villaruel to stay at the tower beyond office hours.

It was learned that Villaruel and Gatchalliar arrived at the air control tower as early as 9 a.m. on Nov. 7 on the pretext that they would conduct research. However, the two stayed even after office hours and eventually took over the tower. — Cecille Suerte Felipe