Probe on Vietnamese woman at NAIA pushed

Ninoy Aquino International Airport

THE Senate Committee on Public Services will investigate the recent incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) in which a Vietnamese woman was seen walking naked.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, the new chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, raised the need to determine if airport security personnel have proper training to handle such incidents.

Reports indicated that the woman is a resident of Binh Minh, Vietnam, and was about to leave for Ho Chi Minh City on June 8.

But she was offloaded after the immigration officer noticed that she seemed to be mentally challenged and was found to be an overstaying tourist.

"Although the Vietnamese was allowed to leave the country on the same day after being examined at the MIAA (Manila International Airport Authority) Medical clinic, it was noticeable in the video that the airport security seemed surprised and unsure of what to do in such a situation — the security failed to stop the woman from continuing to walk toward the boarding gate, causing a commotion at the airport," Senator Tulfo said.

"Therefore, as the new Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, I am filing a Senate resolution to investigate this incident, particularly the handling of security protocols at airport facilities," he added.

He further said, "Does the airport security personnel have adequate training to handle situations like this?"

Moreover, the senator said it's essential to identify the roles and duties performed by the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group, Manila International Airport Authority, Office for Transportation Security, blue guards and other concerned agencies to avoid a blame game.

"It is now time to have a better system and security protocols to avoid a repeat of a similar incident," Tulfo said.