Senate President Chiz Escudero on Tuesday called on transport and justice officials to conduct a top-to-bottom cleansing of their ranks deployed to airports around the country to improve the country’s image to visitors here and abroad, following the dismissal of security personnel involved in “tanim-bala” (bullet planting) scheme.
Escudero lauded newly installed Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon for his swift action against three employees belonging to the Office of Transportation Security, who allegedly victimized a 69-year-old woman and her family before boarding their flight to Vietnam.
“We have this window of opportunity to implement long-term initiatives that will transform the country’s image and enhance the experience of visitors and domestic travelers.”
No bullet nor bullet casing was found in their belongings.
According to the veteran legislator, the firing of transportation security personnel should pave the way for more wide-ranging initiatives that will transform the image of the country’s main gateway, with a new and dynamic secretary of transportation now on board and the operation of the airports now privatized under the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC).
“We have this window of opportunity to implement long-term initiatives that will transform the country’s image and enhance the experience of visitors and domestic travelers the moment they land and when they depart to their destinations. This is long overdue,” the seasoned lawmaker said.
It will be recalled that the Senate President was the proponent of a special provision under the 2024 General Appropriations Act that mandated the reimbursement of passengers who missed their flights due to excessive or unnecessary questioning by immigration personnel.
Under the special provision, the reimbursement of the affected passengers would be sourced from the Bureau of Immigration’s unutilized funds.
