Senate bawls out Honrado

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado bawled out by Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for denying his involvement on the “tanim-bala” extortion and other problems at the airport.

Honrado told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that the control and supervision over the baggage inspectors being accused in planting bullets on travelers was beyond his job, and he only ensures the smooth flow at the airport.

Marcos said that bullet planting is not conducive to a smooth flow operation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“What is then your job if you simply ignore these incidents, or those arrested with guns or firecrackers? When you go to work in the morning, what do you do?” Marcos asked Honrado.

“What if there was a terrorist who was able to sneak in the airport during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit? What’s your standard operating procedures for this?” he added.

Honrado insisted in the Committee that incidents on the “tanim-bala” scam should be under the jurisdiction of the Philippine National Police, and must file charges to people involved in the scam, and the Office of Transportation Security has supervision over the passengers.

Before questioning Honrado of his responsibilities as general manager of MIAA, Marcos asked him about the case of Gloria Ortinez, Hong Kong-bound Filipino worker who was found to have a bullet in her luggage but denied owning it.

Honrado could not remember the date but heard about the case after Gloria’s inquest at the Pasay Prosecutor’s Office after two days of detention, and said he was not aware of Ortinez’s arrest by OTS personnel and he had no control over the OTS or the 21 other agencies operating the airport.

“If you have no control over agencies in the airport, what’s your job? You don’t have the command and control. You cannot coordinate without command and control. So you’re saying now, you have no command and control in the airport?” Marcos asked as he criticize his ignorance.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said the MIAA was mandated to provide general supervision and overall coordination of all government agencies at the airport, and contradicted Honrado’s assertion.

Marcos also said to Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya for doing a “sloppy job” and for defending Honrado, who was equally remiss in his job.

On the same hearing, Marcos was surprised with Abaya’s no answer to his queries on important figures such as the number of OTS personnel.

Senator Grace Poe, who earlier called for Abaya’s resignation over tons of problems at his department, said the leadership in the airport must use common sense and show compassion in cases where travelers were victimized by the bullet planting syndicate.

Poe also want to know how the airport authorities would help workers who lost their jobs because of their delayed flights as a result of the bullet scam.

Abaya told the senators that government would help Ortinez to get back her job if found innocent. Meanwhile, the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case of Ortinez on Wednesday due to lack of probable cause.

Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta said, “Anybody who will be found in possession of a bullet has no criminal liability if it cannot be proven that there was an intent to possess or use it to hurt others.”

At the same Senate hearing, five victims of the “tanim-bala” scam detailed the ordeals at the airport.

Angkla Rep. Jesulito Manalo called for the designation of special prosecutors at the airport to deal with the bullet planting scam.

When Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte criticized Aquino’s administration in their way of handling the tanim-bala scam, the Palace rebuked. He said that Aquino should act to stop the racket.