MANILA, Philippines-Corazon Maquirang, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), has urged President Rodrigo Duterte to take action on pilferage incidents taking place at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). According to Maquirang, six plastic bags containing expensive gifts for her loved ones were removed from her balikbayan box.
Although Maquirang noticed that her balikbayan box had been tampered with a tape showing the seal of the US transportation Security Administration (TSA), she alleged that some NAIA employees were responsible for her items’ loss.
PHOTO CREDIT: Youtube/GMA News
Maquirang, upon noticing that her box was tampered, immediately contacted TSA through email. The agency denied inspecting her box and explained that a notice of inspection and a sticker with a bar code identifying the inspector should have been pasted on the box.
Moreover, Maquirang noticed that the color of the logo on the tape was slightly different from the color of the original logo of TSA.
“Pineke ‘yan. Dito tinira ‘yan. Talagang hindi nagbabago ang NAIA na ‘yan,” Maquirang told GMA News.
(It was faked. It was touched here. NAIA never really changed.)
Manila International Airport Authority spokesperson Ed Monreal pomised to assist Maquirang and investigate the incident. Monreal advised the victim to report the incident and file a complaint to the airlines.
According to Monreal, Maquirang is yet to report the incident to the concerned airline.
“But definitely we will assist in whatever way we can help her determine whether the pilferage happened here,” Monreal said.
Watch the video.
DOTC Chief Apologizes for NAIA Runway Closure
Department of Transportations and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Arthur Tugade has issued an apology and took full responsibility for the inconvenience caused by the closure of the NAIA runway early this week. The incident caused delayed and cancelled flights.
In front of local airline executives and business leader at the World Trade Center Networking Forum and Cocktails in Pasay City, Tugade said:
“Please accept my apologies for those things we didn’t expect to happen. To the public, I’m sorry. I’m sorry to the President [Rodrigo Duterte] because it happened during my 19 days of watch. I’m assuming 100% responsibility because it happened during my watch.”