OpiniOn Airports mirror country's image

FOR the longest time, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) had been ranked among the worst and most stressful airports in the world, with travelers complaining of long queues, numerous security checks, lack among other things.

Last year, a survey conducted by travel website Hawaiian Islands named NAIA the third most stressful airport in Asia and Oceania, next to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport in Australia and Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Vietnam. The results were based on Google reviews of travelers on more than 500 airports across the world.

Another travel website, Guide to Sleeping in Airports, described NAIA last year as a “large and often frustrating airport.”

In its report, it advised travelers to expect to wait in of scams, particularly the prevalent “tanim bala” scheme where bullets were planted in a traveler’s bag by inspecto let him go.

This year, NAIA has repeatedly been in the news again, and again for all the wrong reasons. were canceled, rerouted, or delayed after an equipment mishap triggered a breakdown in the airport’s Communi- from statements by the airport management, a blower for the uninterrupted power supply conked out and failed to

Espresso Mornings

BY JOE ZALDARRIAGA

The outage shut down communications, radar, radio, and internet access, prompting the suspension of airport operations, affecting 56,000 inbound and outbound travelers.

A few weeks ago, a video made the rounds on social media showing an X-ray screener taking money from the bag of a departing Thai passenger. The female screener was then seen inserting the bills into the pocket of another or PHP8,000 and begged him to delete the video and not report it. The airport personnel involved were promptly relieved of their duties.

A few days later, another NAIA screener was caught on video taking a Chinese traveler's watch from the tray run through the X-ray machine. The inspecotherwise.

Last Thursday, DWIZ radio reported that a police national through a highly restricted airport area using an Security Group.

These incidents are putting the country in a very bad light before the global community and are hampering the efforts of the Department of Tourism to lure more international arrivals. This even prompted House Speaker Bautista to remove all personnel from the department’stional embarrassment in the country.

“It’s very embarrassing, alarming, and it really makes you furious. How can we even entice foreign tourists to our shores if no less than our airport personin a report.

“It sounds a bit extreme, but circumstances call for extreme measures. If government personnel commit criminal acts against foreign visitors the minute they land at the airport, it says a lot about our country, so it needs to be addressed sternly,” he added.

All these should serve as an eye-opener for the agenAirport Authority, which manages the main gateway, as well as the DOTr’s OTS, to enforce stronger rules and disciplinary actions on erring employees to effectively stop the commission of such activities.

The state of our airport and the conduct of our people are among the things that leave a lasting impression on foreign visitors, and it is very critical that we get our act together, especially as we aim to change the reputation of the NAIA from being one of the worst to being one of the best in the world.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the foregoopinions and beliefs of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) -