Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Eric Ines has directed free access to members of the in-house media covering the airport beat and warned that he would relieve those who will go against his order, as he announced that he would meet with the airport security personnel on the matter.
An irked GM Ines said this, after learning that members of the Airport Press Club (APC) were halted from entering the parking area at the NAIA Terminal 3 by the security guards who said that there are no more parking slots left for them to use. The media members were there for a coverage, on the invitation of Cebu Pacific.
Cherry Ilaw of SMNI, whose vehicle was the first of five that were lined up and stalled at the entrance of the parking lot, said she was told by the guard to first coordinate with the Airport Police Department and the operations chief.
Running late for the coverage, she decided to call up GM Ines himself, who expressed surprise why the media were not being allowed to enter the parking lot.
Ines talked to the guard and the latter’s supervisor to expressly inform them that they should honor the IDs that were duly issued by him as head of the NAIA management.
“May ID di ba? Papasukin ninyo,” Ines told them, stressing that not allowing the media may give the wrong impression that the airport authorities are hiding something.
Ines also vowed to meet with those involved in the incident, saying ‘ang gulo-gulo nila’ and that ‘kung sino-sino ang pinapapasok nila,’ in reference to the use of the NAIA Terminal 3 parking lot.
An APC official who arrived much earlier for the same event said that after parking at one of the only two parking slots alloted for the airport media, the security guard assigned there removed the cone and let another car park.
When he asked who the car owner was, the guard told him that it was a ‘VIP’ of an APD (airport police department).
