MIAA removing NAIA 3’s gang chairs-cum-bedding
Ines claimed the area has become a gathering place for individuals not picking up passengers, posing security challenges.
Photo by Joey Sanchez Mendoza
Daily TribuneInes claimed the area has become a gathering place for individuals not picking up passengers, posing security challenges.
Photo by Joey Sanchez Mendoza
Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Eric Castro Ines announced plans to remove gang chairs from the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
Ines cited concerns about loitering and potential security risks for passengers and well-wishers.
“It’s getting full,” Ines said during his first meeting with the Airport Press Club. “The others, well-wishers for the arriving passengers, just hang around. They say it’s good because of the air conditioner.”
“We are not totally discouraging (their presence), but after delivering their welcome, I hope they leave immediately. Don’t loiter because it’s hard to distinguish who is there and who is the target,” he said.
Ines claimed the area has become a gathering place for individuals not picking up passengers, posing security challenges.
He recounted an incident where a senior MIAA official, Beng Reyes, encountered a man sleeping on the chairs who admitted he was just there for the air conditioning.
“Another problem is that it is difficult to specifically distinguish between legitimate well-wishers and those with ill or criminal intent,” Ines added.
He pointed to past incidents of theft in the area by individuals blending in with those waiting.
The move comes as MIAA anticipates a surge in passenger traffic during Holy Week. Ines said additional uniformed police and security personnel will be deployed to bolster security until the gang chairs are removed.
The decision follows internal discussions at NAIA Terminal 3, according to Manuel Sequitin, MIAA Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Services (MIAA-AGMSES). Sequitin said terminal officials weighed the benefits and drawbacks and decided on the removal after Holy Week.
The NAIA had been bedeviled with tales of scampering rats and insects biting people.
Ines also appealed to the public to avoid arriving in large groups and spending excessive time in the arrival or departure areas. He said the number of people lingering, slouching and sleeping on the floors creates an unsightly image and disrupts efforts to maintain order.
NAIA Terminal 3 is currently the only Philippine airport terminal where outsiders are allowed extended access to arrival areas because it has a mall attached to it.