Marcos orders investigation on bollards installed in NAIA
Bloody Sunday Amid shattered glass and the wail of sirens, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon questions a security guard at NAIA Terminal 1, where a black SUV on 4 May tore through the airport’s curbside, claiming the lives of a girl and a young man while scattering grief among the injured.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN CARLO MAGALLON FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to investigate the procurement process undertaken by the agency during the previous administration concerning the installation of bollards at the departure area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
This follows the fatal accident involving a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that rammed into the airport’s entrance, killing two people, including a five-year-old child. The allegedly improper installation of the bollards has been partly blamed for the incident.
Bollards are vertical metal posts used to manage road traffic and are intended to prevent vehicles from colliding with pedestrians and infrastructure.
During a press briefing at Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the DoTr has also been tasked with reviewing the specifications of the bollards to determine whether any impropriety occurred.
“Pinaiimbestigahan na po kung paano po ang naging procurement pati iyong specifications, iyon po ay sa pag-uutos po ng Pangulo at ito po ay tutugunan kaagad-agad ni Secretary Vince Dizon (An investigation is being conducted into how the procurement was conducted, including the specifications. This was ordered by the President, and Secretary Vince Dizon will immediately address this),” she said.
The government is also considering replacing the safety bollards at NAIA to prevent similar accidents.
The DoTr reinstalled the damaged bollard at the departure area on Monday.
According to documents submitted by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to the Commission on Audit, the bollards were installed in 2019 as part of a rehabilitation program for Terminals 1, 2, and 3, aimed at improving passenger safety, security, comfort, and welfare.
On Monday, Secretary Dizon said he spoke with New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC) president Ramon S. Ang regarding the possibility of replacing the current bollards.
An investigation is also being conducted by the MIAA and NNIC’s parent company, San Miguel Corporation.