DOTr instructs airports to allow LSIs to stay in premises

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Wednesday instructed airport officials to allow stranded passengers already inside airport terminals to remain there until they are able to fly.

Tugade met several locally stranded individuals inside NAIA's Terminal 3 when he conducted an inspection there this afternoon, along with officials of the Manila International Airport Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

“Pag ticketed ka, nakapasok ka, na-delay, hindi ka na namin palalabasin. Habang hindi ka pinapalabas, yung meals ibibigay namin, sampu ng aming makakaya. Sino ang gagastos diyan? Saka na natin pag-usapan yan. I-advance ko na lang muna,” Tugade said.

But Tugade clarified that, “Ang puwede lang ho pumasok dito, yung may ticket. Kasi isipin po natin yung high security demands ng isang paliparan.”

Gang chairs were also installed at NAIA on Wednesday, a day after President Duterte decried the lack of seats for passengers affected by delayed or cancelled flights.

The chairs were disinfected as soon as they were unloaded from the truck.

“Tama ho yung pangulo. Talagang kulang,” Tugade told reporters.

“In-address namin kaninang umaga yon, na while observing yung social distancing, nag-utos ho ako kanina na bumili ng mga upuan para antimano madagdagan. Dalawang libo kaagad yata yon, minimum,” he added.

NAIA Terminal 3 has a seating capacity of 8,000, which was halved to comply with social distancing. — BM, GMA News