Airport personnel accused of harassing balikbayan family at NAIA
A balikbayan family was allegedly harassed by airport personnel who also tried to steal from them at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on October 20, a relative complained through social media.
In a post on Facebook, Jorge Hizon said his sister, Melinda Hizon-McNulty, and her family were stopped at the X-ray scanner counter after immigration on their way back to Los Angeles.
Aristotle Alsua, one of McNulty's grandchildren, was supposedly told to take his Apple watch off by one of two male examiners at the counter and place it in a basket with his other belongings.
When he could not find the watch after passing through the X-ray, Alsua pointed out the man who gave him the instruction to his grandmother, who helped him check the counter, machine and baskets for the watch.
At this point, the man whom Aries pointed at left and did not return, arousing the grandmother's suspicion enough for her to demand her grandson's watch.
"One of male staff asked for Aries backpack for them to inspect and do a body search on Aries. My sister refused because they may put something that may incriminate Aries," Hizon wrote.
"My sister opened the bag in front of them and unloaded everything inside but there was no Apple watch to be found. My sister told them to do Aries a body search infront of them which they said was not anymore necessary."
McNulty demanded Alsua's watch back from the remaining X-ray inspector for 30 minutes before a female staff came out with the Apple watch and claimed they found it under the X-ray machine.
The balikbayan was then asked at the second X-ray counter before entering the departure area to turn in her handcarry luggage to a female inspector for a manual inspection.
Suspicious of a possible collusion between this inspector and the male inspector at the first X-ray counter, McNulty agreed with the condition of having the inspection performed in front of her.
"Then my sister’s daughter, Anne saw a Victoria's Secret lotion, and told the female inspector if that could be what she was searching and was free to confiscate it," Hizon recounted.
His sister argued with the security inspector until she was allowed to empty the contents of the lotion in a nearby trashcan herself after the inspector asserted her "sole right to dispose it."
"My sister is a frequent traveler to the Philippines. What happened to them at PAL terminal 2 was unimanageable! It clearly validates the many incidents of theft which happened with passengers passing through x-ray inspection," Hizon wrote.
McNulty was unable to get the names of the employees but Hizon claims there is CCTV footage of both incidents, which occurred between 7:45 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
DOTr exec vows probe
GMA News Online has reached out to the Manila International Airport Authority and Philippine Airlines for their reaction, but has yet to receive response from either as of posting time.
However, Transportation Undersecretary Art Mendez Evangelista told Hizon through Facebook that he will act on their complaint.
"Rest assured that I will not take this case sitting down," Evangelista said. "Pls give me the complete details of this incident."
He said even though screeners are not under the operational control of the Department of Transportation, "we still have the administrative authority to investigate, penalize and dismiss them."
Evangelista said the incident, if true, was "disgusting and very embarrassing." —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
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