DOTr: Sanctions await airlines in ‘punit passport’
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has cautioned airlines against deliberately tampering with the passport of passengers, saying this will result in sanctions.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon issued the warning on Monday after alleged cases of “punit passport” (passport deliberately torn) were reported in some airports in the country, resulting in the offloading of the passport holders.
In a meeting with airlines over the weekend, the DOTr chief said that the scheme, if proven to be true, will not be tolerated.
“We will look at CCTV footage. We will look at actual personal accounts in the airports to make sure that no such incidents will occur. Because if we see reports of these incidents and prove that there are airline personnel behind this scheme, then I am sorry. Sanctions will be imposed on both the airlines and their personnel,” he stressed, saying the alleged incidents are still under investigation.
Earlier, airline passenger Diana Natividad said in a post on social media that her 78-year-old father was not allowed by Cebu Pacific to board the flight bound for Bali, Indonesia, on April 15, after its personnel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 discovered a small tear on his passport.
No red flag
“We were completely confused—we had never noticed it [before]. It was a tiny tear, barely noticeable, likely just from normal wear and tear due to frequent traveling—nothing that ever raised a red flag in the past,” she said on Facebook.
Her posts generated a lot of reactions, with some netizens recounting similar incidents about their passports being damaged after these were checked by airline personnel.
According to the DOTr, Indonesian immigration authorities in Denpasar, Bali, confirmed they deemed the passport of Natividad’s father submitted by Cebu Pacific last week as “damaged and would not have accepted it upon the passenger’s arrival.”
In an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo, Cebu Pacific spokesperson Carmina Romero denied allegations of power-tripping by their ground staff.
“We have no intention to ruin vacations. It is our joy to fly passengers to where they want to go,” she said.
According to her, it is the responsibility of the airline to ensure that a passenger’s documents are complete and not damaged or tampered, especially the passport.
The DOTr, meanwhile, reminded passengers bound for international flights to always check the validity and condition of their passport before traveling, and to consult with passport centers or airport authorities when in doubt.
DFA advisories
Published advisories from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) state that under the Philippine Passport Act, a passport is considered damaged if its physical condition is altered due to wear and tear, aging, negligence, or other factors that leave it mutilated or defective.
A passport is deemed mutilated if its data page becomes unreadable or if any information is missing.
This includes situations where the passport chip is damaged and cannot be read by the system, a page is torn out, the hardcover becomes detached from the booklet, the binding is lost, or the document is water-damaged, causing the visa stamps and printed information to run.
