OTS clarifies ‘old’ US Homeland Security advisory at NAIA
THE Office for Transportation Security (OTS) clarified that the photo containing a “public advisory” from the United States Department of Homeland Security (US DHS) noting the “inadequate security” at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), and circulating on social media, was an “old advisory” issued in December 2018, and has since been removed from airports in the US.
Philippine airport authorities said they have continued working together with the US and other foreign counterparts to improve the overall status of security at the country’s international gateways.
Last August 2022, during the joint security assessment by the OTS and US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the latter commended the OTS and other airport authorities for maintaining adequate security measures, emphasizing that the Philippines was the “first country in Asia” to have its advanced security screening technologies placed in strategic areas.
The OTS said that the continued cooperation and constant coordination between the US DHS, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), and the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-ASG) resulted in sustained compliance with international standards and recommended practices in civil aviation security.
During his visit to the US, OTS Administrator Undersecretary Ma.O Aplasca met with TSA Administrator David Pekoske to discuss joint security initiatives to enhance both countries’ aviation security.
Aplasca was also able to secure a donation of additional security screening equipment and a pledge from the US government in the form of capability enhancement and training assistance for the Philippines without any cost to the government.
