THIS kind of selfishness is so shocking.

No less than Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal bared that from January up to April 15, 2021, a total of 138 individuals have attempted to board flights even if they are fully aware that they are positive for COVID-19.

Some were trying to travel domestically but majority were bound for different foreign destinations.

Thanks to the alertness of the different security and airline checkpoints set up at the NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3, these unscrupulous passengers were intercepted.

Some of those intercepted feign innocence by claiming that they just learned about their positive test result while already at the NAIA while others averred that they did not bother to look at their test results. Still, some claimed that their recruitment agencies instructed them to proceed to NAIA and wait for the results there. Really??

I share GM Monreal’s deep concern over this utter disregard for safety guidelines, as he gave an advice to passengers for them to be “responsible travelers.”

Too, GM Monreal is strongly appealing to airline passengers to not take chances anymore on getting on to their flights if their RT-PCR results state that they are positive for the coronavirus.

He warned that the airport security and airline check-in staff will always check on each passenger’s requirements and the truth will always be known in the process. GM Monreal is thankful that airline operators share this call for responsible travelling. Indeed, just recently, Philippine AirLines was also able to prevent from boarding at least 15 individuals who presented fake COVID-19 test results at the airport check-in counters. Spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna said the prospective passengers who were caught in Manila had been bound for destinations such as Cotabato, Dipolog and Zamboanga and were turned over to the Philippine National Police.

Most, she said, were referred for inquest at the city prosecutor’s office, while others have been isolated at quarantine facilities pending their real swab test results. PAL has warned that using fake COVID-19 test results carries a penalty of up to ₱50,000 or imprisonment of from one to six months.

The public is also being advised to secure authentic COVID-19 test results only from legitimate medical providers.

According to Villaluna, the move is a reaffirmation of their commitment to work with government authorities in the fight against COVID-19, for the sake of safe air travel and a healthier Philippines.

Safe travel is always the paramount concern, and airlines and authorities are vigilant in not accepting travelers holding fake RT-PCR or Antigen test results, for everybody’s protection, she says.

The police filed charges of falsification of public documents and violation of RA 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act against the said 15 passengers. If found guilty, they may each face penalties of up to P50,000 and up to six months imprisonment.

Public Affairs Office head Connie Bungag said that in the case of those intercepted by the MIAA security, the airport’s medical authorities had to coordinate with One Hospital Command, Oplan Kalinga facilities, various local government units or the recruitment agencies concerned to pick up the intercepted travellers and have them isolated and quarantined properly.

While waiting, Bungag said these travellers are put in a holding area away from the passengers movement area, while personnel from the MIAA terminal operations and the Airport Police Department under Col. Tecson keep an eye on them.

The problem, she explains, lies in the fact that some foreign and local destinations do not require RT-PCR test results which is why the security personnel find it hard to impose and demand a negative swab result at the entrance of the terminals.

It is disappointing to learn that a good number of those intercepted are either land-based or sea-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), normally hailed as modern-day heroes.

The determination to do what they want regardless of the fact that they are putting the lives of others on the line is simply revolting.

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Jokjok (from Eleanor Refraccion of Mindoro Oriental)—-INDAY: Nung teenager pa ako, pag may pinupuntahan akong kasalan lagi akong tinutukso ng mga kamag-anak ko ng, “Uuuuyyyyy… Susunod na sya.” Naiinis ako kasi bata pa ako. Kaya gumanti ako/ PEDRO: Talaga? Ano ginawa mo?/INDAY:Noong magkita-kita uli kami sa isang burol ng kamag-anak namin, sila naman ang pingasabihan ko ng, “Uuuuyyyy… Susunod na sila.”

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