Probers to quiz aviation man

CEBU — Police are looking for an aviation employee who went on vacation leave last Saturday, the same day that a grenade went off and killed the chief radar technician of the Mactan airport.

The Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) has stepped up security in the airport complex, even tapping the intelligence networks of nearby barangays.

Edwin Diocos, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said they are looking for the aviation employee because he went on vacation leave on the day of the blast that killed 54-year-old Cesar Simeon.

The employee reportedly filed for a sick leave first and later opted to go on vacation to Bantayan Island.

Diocos said the employee could be the key in finding out the circumstances surrounding Saturday’s blast.

"Marami tayong dapat itanong sa kanya. Bakit nag-coincide ang bakasyon niya sa incident? Bakit may Air Force uniform siya? Bakit mayroon siyang mga bala sa personal belongings niya? (We have many questions to ask him. Why did his vacation coincide with the blast? Why does he have an Air Force uniform? Why does he have bullets among his personal belongings?)"

Police found ammunition for an M-16 rifle and handguns at the scene of the blast. The CIDG found the grenade to have been manufactured in 1972 through its lot number.

The CIDG may also summon for questioning another employee of the Air Transportation Office (ATO) who was on watch when the blast happened. The employee, however, was reportedly in another room.

Investigators are baffled by how the grenade and the ammunition slipped past the airport’s strict security. Airport authorities have denied any security lapse.

The radar facility is about 2.5 kilometers from the airport terminal but close to the runway.

Meanwhile, airport authorities are tapping the intelligence networks of seven barangays in stepping up security measures around the airport.

MCIAA general manager Angelo Verdan said barangay folk can help in reporting suspicious-looking people to authorities.

The airport authority is also improving the perimeter fence. — Freeman News Service