Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES)
MANILA, Philippines — An incident involving a naked Vietnamese woman at the Ninoy Aquino International (NAIA) Terminal 3 prompted Senator Raffy Tulfo to wonder whether or not the airport’s security personnel have proper training to handle such situations.
Tulfo, who now heads the Senate panel on public services, said he would file a resolution seeking to investigate the NAIA incident.
“Bagamat pinayagan ding lumabas ng bansa ang Vietnamese national ng parehong araw matapos masuri sa Manila International Airport Authority medical clinic, kapansin-pansin sa lumabas na video na tila nagulat at hindi sigurado ang airport security kung ano ang gagawin sa sitwasyong katulad nito – hindi napigilan ng security ang babae na patuloy na maglakad patungo sa boarding gate na nagdulot ng komosyon sa airport,” said Tulfo in a statement on Friday.
(Although the Vietnamese woman was eventually allowed to leave the country the very same day she was assessed at the MIAA medical clinic, it’s still seen in the viral video that our airport security were shocked and uncertain on what to do in a situation such as this — they were not able to stop the woman from walking towards the boarding gate which caused a commotion at the airport.)
“Mayroon bang sapat na training ang airport security personnel kung paano ang gagawin sa mga pangyayaring katulad nito?” he wondered.
(Does our airport security personnel have enough training on what to do in a situation like this?)
According to the senator, it is important that the airport’s personnel — particularly the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group, Manila International Airport Authority, Office for Transportation Security, blue guards, and other concerned agencies — know their roles whenever incidents as such transpire to avoid what he called the “blame game.”
“Panahon na rin para magkaroon ng maayos na sistema at security protocols upang hindi na ito maulit pa,” he emphasized.
(It’s high time that we have a system and security protocols in order for this not to happen again.)
The Bureau of Immigration earlier said the Vietnamese woman was stopped from flying to Hanoi on June 9 because she appeared to be “distressed.”
The foreigner, the BI added, “unexpectedly began to undress and walked nakedly towards the Office of Transportation Security” during a routine inspection at NAIA Terminal 3.
The woman was eventually allowed to board the next flight following assessment.