What was supposed to be a rousing homecoming turned into a New Year nightmare for thousands of travelers, migrant workers and tourists alike after getting stranded at the country’s airports following an air traffic system glitch at the start of the year.

The resulting chaos caused immense stress, inconvenience, and unplanned expenses to over 60,000 Filipino and foreign travelers as Philippine airspace became a virtual no-fly zone with no communication, radar, radio and Internet for air navigation.

Was it a case of sabotage or plain incompetence on the part of the officials manning the country’s aviation facilities?

Malacañang wanted to know. The public, too.

The inconvenience is clearly seen in these photos of travelers and planes stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals that were probably splashed all over the world to the embarrassment of our own officials.

The NAIA has, on several occasions, been voted as among the worst airports in the world. The New Year chaos at the hubs certainly do not make a good argument for reversing such.