A 65-year-old female passenger at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) was barred from traveling to Dubai due to a torn passport.
Earlier, the passport was swiped by an airline company staff member while the passenger, identified as Maeveline Ann Sulib, was at the check-in counter.
A post of her daughter Faith Pamsula, an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), on April 24, 2025 about the incident earned over 3,000 shares, over 2,000 reactions, and over 700 comments.
Pamsula, in her post, disclosed that her mother was supposed to travel to Dubai morning on April 24, 2025. However, she was barred from pursuing the trip because of her torn passport.
The airline company staff members apologized, and vowed to help Sulib get a new passport.
Sulib was supposed to celebrate her birthday on May 6, 2025 in Dubai with her children.
The Operations Department of MCIA has already coordinated with them, Pamsula said, and explained on the incident after an investigation was conducted.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has warned airline staff on possible sanctions once proven that Sulib’s passport was torn on purpose.
While Pamsula is glad of the immediate assistance, she also expressed dismay that her post was taken down after DoTr issued a statement.
She said there was also an attempt to hack her social media account.
Pamsula surmised a mass report of her post to the administrator has compromised her social media account.
The airline company has not released a statement yet on the incident, as of this writing.
In the afternoon of Friday, May 2, 2025, Pamsula told GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak that the Department of Foreign Affairs informed that her mother’s new passport is ready for pickup.
The airline company has also vowed to shoulder all cost incurred in applying for a new passport and the rebooking of flights; and that an investigation on the incident has been launched.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION STATEMENT
On May 1, 2025, DOTr, through the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), has ordered Cathay Pacific to explain the alleged passport mishandling incident which led to the denial of boarding of a passenger in MCIA.
"Based on the CAB’s incident report, the 65-year-old passenger was supposed to board Flight CX948 bound for Dubai on 24 April 2025," a statement posted on DOTr Philippines reads.
"However, during the check-in process, the passenger’s passport was allegedly torn while being handled by the airline staff, rendering it unusable and invalid for boarding."
"The passenger also said that the airline staff did not provide any explanation or immediate assistance, and just continued to process other passengers instead."
"Due to this, Cathay Pacific has been ordered to submit an explanation on the incident by today, 01 May 2025," the statement further said.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has recently "directed all airlines to ensure that no intentional tampering of passports occurs at airports, and reminded personnel to exercise their authority responsibly and respectfully when verifying the validity of travel documents," the statement concludes.
