2 foreigners kicked out of flight to Manila after scuffle
MANILA, Philippines — Two Manila-bound foreigners were offloaded Monday afternoon from their flight after they figured in a tussle inside the aircraft at the Bancasi Airport in Butuan City.
Neither the Chinese passenger nor the elderly American national, however, pursued charges of physical injury against each other apparently to avoid missing their respective connecting flights home.
Ironically, both still ended up in the same flight to Manila, following their scuffle.
According to a report from the Aviation Security Group (Avsegroup) unit based at the Bancasi Airport in Butuan City, the incident happened at around 5 p.m., Monday, while passengers on Cebu Pacific flight 5J-788 to Manila were boarding.
Insp. Allexy Francis Avenido, of the Bancasi Airport police station, said that Chinese national and Hong Kong resident Fan Wah John Kung, 36, was busy arranging his luggage on the plane’s overhead compartment while directing members of his family to their seats when 65-year-old American Robert William Dismus Sr. reportedly pushed him out of the way.
Avenido said that when the Chinese passenger told him, “Don’t push me,” Dismus allegedly reacted by grabbing both his hands and shoving him to the row of seats.
Dismus claimed that he had done that to restrain the Chinese national who allegedly tried to get back at him with an elbow.
Cebu Pacific security personnel, who pacified the two passengers, called the police to settle the matter.
Avenido pointed out that at the police station, the foreigners agreed not to file charges against each other and instead acknowledged that they were kicked off their Manila-bound flight because of their unruly behavior.
The foreigners eventually rebooked the same Cebu Pacific flight 5J-790 to Manila to catch their connecting flights. SFM
