MANILA : The Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP) and local carriers have agreed to intensify measures to prevent bomb joke incidents in airports across the country, an official said Thursday.
There were eight incidents of bomb jokes in 2023, and the AVSEGROUP has so far logged three incidents in 2024. These happened in different airports, check-in counters, hold baggage areas, and inside the aircraft.
“We met with the CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) and have sought the cooperation of airlines to further prevent bomb joke incidents, and to help us in making the public aware of the Anti-Bomb Joke Law,” AVSEGROUP Director Jack Wanky told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview.
Wanky said the AVSEGROUP has sought the airlines’ cooperation, citing as an example the bomb joke incident at the Bicol International Airport in October 2023, when a paper with the word “bomb” written on it was found inside an aircraft lavatory.
“The airline didn’t want to provide us the passenger’
s identity due to the Data Privacy Act, although we were able to eventually trace the passenger. What was reported to us was the seat number of the last person who used the lavatory,” he said.
The airline involved, he said, now agrees to provide them the passenger details in future cases, but noted that it has to undergo process so as not to violate the Data Privacy Act.
Wanky said most of the suspects were first-time air travelers and are unaware of the law. Thus, he is seeking the carriers’ help in informing passengers of security risk items they shouldn’t put in their luggage.
“We also suggested to have a survey, for instance, prior to issuing tickets. The survey could include questions like ‘Are you a first-time traveler?’ ‘Are you aware of the Anti-Bomb Joke Law?’,” he suggested.
The official said that while some tickets contain reminders, most passengers may not notice these since some are just for their flight schedule. Further, many are purchasing tickets online. So, he suggested to include a surv
ey.
Wanky also said that those who make bomb jokes would only face sanctions if a case would be filed against them.
Meanwhile, in a statement, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) said they have been coordinating with the Manila International Airport Authority as well as the Office for Transportation Security to further raise awareness via posters or signages in the airport.
Cebu Pacific VP for Customer Service Operations Lei Apostol said airlines have to delay flights for several hours due to bomb jokes.
“The consequences of a delayed flight may be exponential to an airline. Every delayed flight has a domino effect throughout the day. This is a serious cost to the airlines and may mean thousands of passengers being disrupted,” Apostol said.
Source: Philippines News Agency