Mystery shrouds damage of Leni’s luggage from HK

VICE President Leni Robredo has asked the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and airline Cathay Pacific to look into an apparent attempt to pry open her luggage on her flight home from the United States.

Robredo’s two pieces of luggage were delivered to her office from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in the early hours of Thursday with a lot of scratches and dents, her security aide Lt. Danilo Vidad said, adding there seemed to have been an attempt to pry it open using some tool.

The airline’s incident report had noted only two pieces of luggage were damaged on that particular flight—those of the Vice President.

The Vice President had declared nothing missing from her luggage. However, she has asked the MIAA to look into the matter and likewise seek an explanation from Cathay Pacific.

Robredo was away for about two weeks to attend a women’s event in Thailand and speak at a conference sponsored by the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations in the United States. She returned from the United States via Hong Kong, arriving at the Naia Terminal 3 at around 1 a.m. on Thursday.

According to MIAA intelligence and access management department manager Arnulfo Junio, the agency has already investigated the matter from its end, finding that the damage did not happen inside the Naia.

He said the agency reviewed the closed-circuit television footage in the baggage handling area during the processing of passenger luggage from the Cathay Pacific flight and it showed nothing unusual.

Junio also said the Vice President’s luggage was treated as a priority and transported without delay. It was delivered to her office at 2:30 a.m.

He added that they have since collected written statements from the baggage loaders and security officers of the airline.

“Cathay Pacific actually recorded the damage of two pieces of baggage in its incident journal for that particular flight,” Junio said.

The MIAA official said he has asked the security provider of Cathay Pacific to advise the airline of Vice President Robredo’s concern.