The patchwork solutions undertaken at the country’s principal international airport boggle the mind as they offer nothing more than the kind of commitment that replaced the useless bollard that flew off the moment it was rammed by a sport utility vehicle with another token barrier.

The New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) must move beyond damage control to proactive accountability in addressing the inadequacies at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) whose management it took over under a 25-year contract.

The audit, which has started, must be transparent, with the findings shared with the public to restore its trust. The recently announced bollard reinforcements and the drop-off area redesign must have clear timelines and independent oversight to ensure these are not mere reactive responses.

The NNIC modernization must not prioritize flashy projects over fundamental safety protections.

The gruesome SUV crash at Terminal 1 on 4 May which claimed the lives of a four-year-old girl and a 29-year-old man has cast a spotlight on the inadequacy of the airport’s safety infrastructure.

As the airport operator, NNIC has been tasked with modernizing NAIA since September 2024, when it won the management contract.

It is distressing that NNIC admitted, on 6 May, that it was just starting a safety audit eight months after it obtained the contract.

It is now checking all security bollards and redesigning the departure drop-off areas at Terminals 1 and 2 to enhance curbside safety.

The haste is a belated response to a tragedy that exposed longstanding structural weaknesses that should have been prioritized.

The accident turned into a tragedy after the SUV breached the flimsy bollard at Terminal 1’s departure entrance. The freak accident was not just a driver’s error but an indictment of NAIA’s outdated infrastructure.

The bollards, installed in 2019 for P8 million, were an offshoot of an Australian Security Audit that required fortification of the airport against vehicle impacts.

Their shallow installation rendered them ineffective. Safety experts said the poles should at least be a half-ruler deep, raising questions about how these structures passed safety checks. The fact that a mid-size SUV could plow through the barrier attested to their failure.

The “urgent” measures should have been undertaken long before. Eight months into its tenure, NNIC had ample opportunity to conduct a comprehensive safety review of NAIA’s aging terminals, particularly Terminal 1, a 43-year-old structure buckling under use.

Did the 2019 audit, which exposed the bollards and other safety flaws, prompt NNIC to fortify the critical barriers upon taking over?

The frustration is compounded by NNIC’s aggressive fee hikes, which promised swift modernization but have yet to deliver tangible safety improvements.

Overnight parking fees skyrocketed from P300 to P1,200, and terminal fees are set to nearly double by September 2025.

The higher charges, justified as funding for security and comfort upgrades, raised expectations of a safer, more efficient NAIA. Still, passengers faced the same congested curbsides and inadequate barriers, culminating in a preventable loss of life.

While ambitious, the P170.6 billion-modernization plan has focused on long-term projects like runway expansions and new terminals, sidelining immediate fixes like crash-rated bollards that could have stopped the hurtling vehicle in its tracks.

The crash shattered families and eroded trust in NNIC’s ability to deliver on its promises.

Deliberate vehicle-ramming, which is far more destructive than an errant SUV, could exploit weak barriers to inflict maximum damage.

Crash-rated bollards, like those that meet global standards, are standard at modern airports.

Given the NAIA’s history and high-threat status, the NNIC now admits the need for deeper foundations for the barriers. The crash has exposed a gap in anti-terror preparedness that NNIC’s ongoing security upgrades, like explosive detection systems, do not fully cover.

NNIC’s claim that “safeguards were already in place” rings hollow when those safeguards failed so spectacularly, which raises the possibility of other superficial installations to cover safety commitments.

The audit should have preceded, not followed, the crash. The redesign should have been underway when NNIC assumed control, not prompted by a public outcry and grieving families.

NNIC’s commitment to cover the medical costs and aid the victims’ families does not absolve it of the oversight that allowed this tragedy to unfold.

The urgency it now professes must translate into action that will prevent another Filipino family from having to pay the ultimate price for NAIA’s neglect.