THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it is looking into reports of torn passports amid concerns of deliberate mishandling by airline personnel.
DOTr spokesperson Mon llagan said they have monitored at least three incidents of torn passports, the first involving a Philippine Airlines passenger for its Butuan to Manila flight.
The second incident happened to a passenger of a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Bali, and the third incident involved a passenger of a Cathay Pacific flight at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
“So immediately po after the incident happened, pinatawag po ni DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon ang lahat ng opisyales ng airlines at nagpaalala po na bantayan iyong kanilang mga personnel, at kapag mayroon pong nahuli na gumagawa po ng illegal tampering ng passport ng ating mga passengers ay definitely po mayroon itong corresponding penalty ang airlines at maging sa mga kawani po na gumagawa nito,” llagan said.
The DOTr has also ordered stricter monitoring of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in airports to prevent similar incidents from happening again, he said.
“Ngayon, dahil po sa insidenteng ‘yan, nagbigay na rin po kaagad ng kautusan ang DOTr, pinatutupad na ito ng NAIA na bawal nang hawakan ng mga security personnel ng NAIA ng ating mga paliparan ang mga passport ng pasahero,” Ilagan said.
He added: “Kundi ang hahawak lamang po nito ay iyong mga personnel sa check-in counter ng mga airlines, at ganundin po iyong mga immigration officers. This is to prevent the repetition of the incident.”
The transportation official also reminded passengers to be mindful of their own passports.
“You should also be held responsible for your own document, better i-check po yong ating mga pasaporte baka ito po ay basa, number one; napunit, namantsahan eh baka hindi po kayo makabyahe o tanggapin po ng bansang inyo pong pupuntahan,” he said.
The DOTR has also coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs for the establishment of help desks to address similar incidents in the future, he said. (ABS-CBN News)
