Security jeopardized Dumaguete airport now lacks detectors

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Security at the Dumaguete-Sibulan alternate airport is now jeopardized due to the absence of x-ray machines that will detect contraband items, explosive materials or firearms from plane passengers.

Airport manager Veronica Chuang admitted that the airport is now into manual inspection of baggages and cargoes after the x-ray machines bogged down due to technical problems.

One of the two x-ray machines was rendered unserviceable since two years ago and the other one suffered technical problems only recently, she said.

Chuang said she already reported this concern to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) in Manila and technicians were expected to arrive this week to determine the extent of the problem and fix it up.

A number of plane passengers have been complaining due to the hustle and inconvenience of the manual inspection, which also caused the bigger concern for security, Chuang said.

Questions were also raised over the collection of a P15 security fee when there is no x-ray machines to speak of at the moment.

Despite the lack of x-ray machines, however the airport management is pushing for a night flight to Dumaguete. This developed as plane passengers lamented over the reduction of plane flights to and from this capital city of Negros Oriental.

What remains here are the daily flights to and from Cebu, two of which via PAL Express and two others via Cebu Pacific, which already removed its noon flight recently.

The reason for the reduction could be the change in the passenger capacity of the planes, from 319s to the Airbus 320, Chuang said.

The Dumaguete-Sibulan alternate airport is capable of hosting night flights. Of 14 airports in the country, Dumaguete's is one of the four that are qualified to operate flights in the evening, she added. (FREEMAN)