MANILA, Philippines—Airport authorities are investigating whether Philippine Airlines (PAL) could be held liable for an incident last weekend in which a K-9 dog hired by the airline allegedly attacked a 2-year-old boy at the Naia Centennial Terminal 2.
“We want to know why it (PAL) deployed a K9 unit in the area and how well the dog as well as its handler had been trained for their assigned task,” said Supt. Al’ Abner Wahab Santos of the NCR Police Center for Aviation Security.
But based on their initial investigation, Santos said there appeared to be negligence on the part of the dog’s handler, Christopher Luig.
“We were wondering why he was at the passenger movement area, he should not have stayed there,” he said, adding that K9 units, whether drug- or bomb-sniffing dogs, are supposed to remain at the cargo or baggage-inspection areas.
The victim, Elijah Lingaolingao, suffered injuries in the head, face and mouth.
The boy, with his parents and nanny, were waiting at the boarding gate for a flight to Cebu when the incident happened at about 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 19.
According to the boy’s mother, Rizza, the K-9 dog, a Belgian Malinois, attacked them from behind and bit her son on the head, in the face below the left eye and in the upper lip.
Rizza told authorities that before the attack, Luig was taking a nap at one of the seats and the dog was not securely attached to his body or tied to a fixed post.
PAL said it had apologized to the victim’s parents and that it had immediately rushed the boy for treatment at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital.
It claimed that the boy was safe and had been discharged though he would need to undergo regular check-ups.
It said PAL will shoulder all medical expenses, including transport from the family home in Bulacan for the boy’s regular hospital visits to Cardinal Santos.