Thursday, November 01, 2007 Mactan arrivals up by 10-15% for long break
AIRPORT arrivals rose by 10-15 percent since Friday, Oct. 26, prompting the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) to double its security personnel and set up help desks.
“We also request the passengers to be alert and become additional eyes and ears against security threats. We continue to seek ways to make air travel very safe, secure and most pleasant,” said MCIAA General Manager Danilo Augusto Francia.
From January to April 2006, an average of 8,191 domestic and international passengers arrived every day at the Mactan airport. No figures on last month’s arrivals were available from airport officials yesterday.
Personnel at the security X-rays will keep reminding travelers about the rules on prohibited liquids to avoid delays in the lines, Francia said.
Passengers can help by confirming flight details before going to the airport to avoid congestion on roads and in the terminal’s space.
Dogs to work too
Director Danilo Sy of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) 7 said that as of yesterday afternoon, no untoward incident was reported to his office.
NTC personnel are assigned in help desks at the airport, Cebu ports and bus terminals, and are tasked to send or receive information about complaints or queries from one port to another.
Help desks at the airport are also manned by staff from the public affairs division under manager Ahmed Cuizon.
“Since help desks were set up at the Cebu ports, everything is working well according to our security plan,” said Oscar Lopez, safety and security division manager of the Cebu Port Authority (CPA).
Aside from the X-ray machines placed inside vessel passenger terminals, trained dogs are also fielded, while the number of beat and car patrols on port roads has been doubled, Lopez said.
Use meters, cabbies told
Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) 7 Director Glenn Cabañez said that the CPA will serve as the hub of the help desk system for sea transport, while the MCIAA leads the cluster for air transport.
Help desks at bus terminals will be manned by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, supported by the NTC.
Cabañez, chairman of the Regional Management Council composed of Department of Transportation and Communication agencies, said that travelers can ask for information from the help desks about arrivals or departures and fare rates. They can also report crimes.
If a passenger is victimized inside a vessel, Cabañez said he must report it to the ship crew so the suspect can be arrested upon arrival.
Meanwhile, LTO 7 Director Alex Leyson reminded taxi drivers to use their meters when transporting passengers. He received reports they charged P300 to P500 for every trip, without using the meter.
Drivers caught committing this violation will be fined P1,500, he warned. (EOB)
