Pinoy held for bomb joke arrives home

A Filipino tourist who was removed from a Manila-bound Cebu Pacific flight for joking that he had a bomb in his carry-on luggage arrived from Hong Kong late Thursday.

Joselito Daza, 20, initially avoided photographers and reporters waiting to interview him at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, covering his face to avoid being photographed.

But reporters were also waiting for Daza at the office of the Airport Police Department, where he was escorted by police officers to give a statement about the incident in Hong Kong.

In an interview with select reporters, Daza admitted that he made a mistake in joking about having a bomb in his carry-on luggage when he and his cousin, Sarah Daza, boarded a Cebu Pacific flight last Wednesday. But he contended that authorities overreacted to what he believed was a harmless joke.

"It was my fault. But I didn’t do anything that hurt other people," he said.

Daza had joked that he had a bomb when flight attendant Joseph David requested him to put away his carry-on bag in the overhead luggage compartment. David even laughed, Daza said.

However, to his consternation, Daza was told by authorities to step off the plane. It was learned that the attendant reported the joke to the pilot, who then made a report to the airport control tower.

Daza was questioned by Hong Kong airport police and imposed a fine of HK$5,000. He and his cousin did not have the money and they had to call an aunt in Manila to bail them out.

Daza’s woes were compounded by his interrogators’ poor English, which made it difficult for him to explain his side. His HK$5,000 was eventually returned when he was cleared and authorities decided not to press charges. Daza was sent home with a reprimand instead.

Daza also complained that his discounted ticket was forfeited because of his detention and he had to buy another ticket at full price to get home.

Jokes about bombs are taken seriously by airlines around the world as a standard security procedure. Despite the embarrassment, Daza acknowledged that it was for everyone’s safety. "Keep up the good work," he said. — With Sheila Crisostomo