Officials of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the PNP-Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP) blamed one another over alleged lapses in protocols that led to smuggling of foreigners aboard a private plane that left NAIA on Feb. 13.
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Sen. Francis Tolentino pressed representatives from the MIAA, the CAAP, and the PNP-AVEGROUP, as well as the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on how the chartered flight with Registry No. N9527E flew out of the NAIA without being inspected.
The chartered flight was able to leave the country supposedly without a proper immigration pre-departure inspection.
Even the exact number of passengers aboard the private plane was not established during the committee hearing presided by Tolentino although a report from Dubai said seven passengers riding the said plane arrived there.
Sen. Grace Poe who delivered a privilege speech on the issue said they were able to secure a copy of the flight’s General Declaration which showed that only three crew members and six individuals were on the manifest, but a BI General Declaration form showed there were three crew members and seven passengers—a Malaysian, Korean, Chinese, Vanuata and three from Saint Kitts and Nevis.
She also received information that the seven passengers had a mix of visas from tourist, employment, and Special Resident Retirees’ visa.
Grilled by Tolentino, MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong, CAAP acting director Gen. Manuel Antonio Tamayo and PNP AVSEGROUP attempted to evade any liability by passing the responsibility to each other.
Tamayo said that it was the PNP-AVSEGROUP which has jurisdiction over the tarmac or the area at MIAA where an airplane is parked.
As such, it gives an exit clearance before an aircraft is allowed to fly.
Air traffic control head assistant director general Marlene Singsong testified they have not received any call from PNP-AVSEGROUP to stop the flight of the questioned chartered flight.
But PNP-AVSEGROUP chief Aviation Security Unit Col. Roderick Campo said they have no direct contact to the air traffic control so he called up CAAP acting intelligence and investigation division chief security retired Brig. Gen. Dionisio Robles to stop the chartered plane from leaving.
When Robles answered Campos’ call, he advised the latter to coordinate with the MIAA which has jurisdiction over the matter, not the CAAP.
According to Robles, he also tried to coordinate with assistant general manager Manuel Gonzales who told the Senate panel that he saw the messages and miscalls the day after. By that time, he said the plane could have already landed in Dubai.
Tolentino said he was dismayed with the ’helpless’ situation of the CAAP, the MIAA and the PNP-AVSEGROUP.
He noted that the chain of command appeared to be broken and it was unclear as nobody supervises in case of an emergency.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo stood his ground that the human smuggling was unearthed as “there was no equal sharing when money changed hands.”
Tolentino also inquired from Globan Service Corporation, the assigned aircraft ground handler, on the passengers of the private plans operated by Cloud Nine No. 1 Leasing Company Limited, a Hong Kong registered leasing company.
The BI has maintained that no human smuggling transpired that day as mentioned in Poe’s speech, insisting that all passengers of the private flight were screened prior to boarding and departure.
