Thieves strike again at NAIA Terminal 1
A good friend of mine, whose family is based in Canada, was on a two-week vacation in the Philippines and got the shock of her life when she found some items missing from her luggage upon arriving home. She could not contain her anger and exasperation at being victimized by what seemed to be a baggage pilferage syndicate in our own airport as she traveled via Philippine Airlines.
The items that included assorted perfumes, shoes, bags, body lotion, and Samsung Galaxy Note 1 that were intended as presents (pasalubong) for friends and relatives were gone in a snap. Imagine her stress as she desperately called her friends and loved ones to tell them of her sad plight. And such precious time lost writing a complaint and going back to the airport to report the loss.
As she filed an incident report with the airport and the airline, she learned that she was the third passenger to have filed a theft case. To her dismay, one personnel blurted out “Magpapasko kasi” (Well, it’s almost Christmas), as if to justify the theft as something normal. The insensitivity of airport personnel agitated my friend more. She was escorted inside an office “kasi nakakahiya” (because it’s embarrassing) to foreigners who could hear my friend’s outburst.
So such mess that erring airport personnel have created shouldn’t be considered shameful to the highest level? How many victims prefer not to report cases because of inconvenience and the indifference of airport staff? What concrete actions are being taken against culprits? Do they go scot-free, the reason why they persist in their ways? Are there not enough CCTVs in our airport for the syndicate to be busted?
Our country cannot afford such incidents that serve as bad advertisements. Our government’s efforts to attract more tourists would only go to waste when thieves fleece our guests at the airport. Isn’t it high time we get rid of rotten people inside our terminals who destroy the image of our country? After seven years, my friend came home to be with loved ones and for a health-related reason. She has vowed never to come home again.
Belen Docena-Asuelo,
