While the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), like many other airports all over the world, heightens security in light of Osama bin Laden’s death, its preparations to prevent drug trafficking might not be as ready.
In a report on GMA News TV’s “State of the Nation," it was revealed that although NAIA has enough equipment to screen dangerous metals, illegal drugs still manage to pass through the terminal.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
Almost 9,000 airline passengers go through the NAIA every day – a total of over 20 million passengers in a year.
The baggage of each passenger gets screened at the airport entrance and departure area by the machines and personnel of the Office for Transportation Security, the single authority responsible for security that was created by Executive Order 311 and placed under the Department of Transportation and Communication.
Only ion scan machines can detect illegal drugs and NAIA owns five units. Two are in Terminals 1 and 2 while the rest are broken.
“[The x-ray] machines are switchable — for drugs and explosives," said Jose Mari Castaneda, president of Defense and Protection System Philippines, the supplier of NAIA’s x-ray machines.
But with the heightened threat of terrorism, most x-ray machines are programmed to detect explosives, forcing officials responsible for preventing the entry illegal substances into airports to rely instead on machine operators, behavior detection officers, and K9 units.
Some arrivals, the report noted, do not undergo security checks. As a result, the country continues to be a top transshipment point for drugs in Asia.
“Na-profile na tayo, eh. 'Pagka dumaan ka sa ibang bansa, tsine-check ka, sine-separate ka na kaagad," said the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Drug trafficking continues to be a major concern in the country as 88 Filipinos are on the death row in various countries for drug trafficking. Late in March, three Filipinos were executed in China for drug trafficking.
Many wonder how it was even possible for Filipino “drug mules" to bring several kilograms of illegal drugs in and out of NAIA.
The three screening points in NAIA use x-ray machines that are at par with “international standards" and “can penetrate metal," said Dan Tardecilla of the Office of Transportation Security.
‘Bomb detection’ vs ‘drug detection’
According to Jose Mari Castaneda, the president of Defense and Protection Systems Philippines, the Heimann X-Ray Inspection System machines his company had supplied the NAIA cannot distinguish between drugs and other organic substances such as explosives.
“In terms of drug smuggling, it is really very important for [the airport to get] the ion-scan machine because that’s the only machine that can detect traces of drugs," he explained.
The ion-scan machine can detect more than 40 types of explosive and narcotic substances. But it is largely left to the x-ray machine operators’ discretion whether certain passengers’ baggage will go through the ion-scan machine.
In the Philippines there are only five ion-scan machines. One is used in NAIA Terminal 1 while another is used in NAIA Terminal 2.
Even then, the ion-scan machines are switched on “bomb detection" mode instead of “drug detention" because the primary concern in airports nowadays is guarding against terrorism.
Inadequacy of drug detecting facilities in Philippine airports make the country a favored drug transshipment point. Aside from the NAIA, the Philippines has nine other international airports where drugs could possibly be taken in or flown out of the country. — Bea Cupin/Marlon Anthony Tonson/PE/VS,
