Security concerns hound abandoned hotel near NAIA

FILE: Facade of Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. (Photo By Mithril Cloud at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA – The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has expressed deep concern on the abandoned Philippine Village Hotel (PVH), saying it poses security threats to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

In a news release on Monday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co sent a letter to Pasay City Mayor Imelda Rubiano on June 20, saying the abandoned PVH “has increasingly compromised the building’s security, making it susceptible to trespassing, vandalism, and other criminal activities…[including] the possibility of terrorist activities being planned or executed from within the structure” which would jeopardize the operations of the airport complex.

The PVH poses threat to human life and the vicinity, specifically the NAIA Terminal 2 and the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing, according to the release.

MIAA’s efforts to secure the premises have been barred by the Philippine Village Hotel Inc. and other parties with interests on the PVH, said the DOTr.

Co cited two past incidents when MIAA personnel and equipment sent to put out fires in the PVH area were barred entry.

MIAA’s fire trucks responding to a basement fire in PVH were denied entry on Nov. 20, 2021, he said.

On June 7, the MIAA fire brigade was allowed entry 15 minutes after their arrival, but only with the assistance of the Airport Police Department.

As such, Co requested that MIAA be allowed to secure the PVH area, not only from criminal elements, but also from natural and manmade disasters.

He also appealed to Rubiano to conduct a comprehensive structural assessment on the hotel to determine its level of risk for structural failure, collapse, and damage which may warrant its demolition.

The MIAA cited the earthquake that was felt in Metro Manila last June 15, which shows the urgency of engineering assessment due to the hotel’s proximity to the passenger terminal and aircraft movement areas.

“This poses what MIAA describes as grave threats that could be mitigated with the help of the Pasay City LGU (local government unit) to ensure the safety and security of the airport complex, all those associated with its operations, and the general public,” the DOTr said.