Journalists Covering the Airports Cries Foul Over MIAA’s Memo

by Agent Searchlight  
Editor: Longbackers
With a report from Bryan De Paz

UNTV Reporter Bryan De Paz doing standupper at NAIA Terminal 1 (Courtesy of BPD)

De Paz with Raoul Esperas (Courtesy of  BPD)

While most of us agree that restrictions are necessary to ensure peace and security in a modern and complex society; regulations that will supress our freedom as a human being will certainly become a point of dispute. With that perspective, Raoul Esperas and other members of the NAIA Press Corps openly denounces the soon to be imposed regulation of the Manila International Airport Authority that in effect, according to them will supress the freedom of the press.


Esperas who is covering the airport beat for more than 20 years, being a reporter for a local AM radio station and at the same time as ‘stringer’ cameraman for a TV network in the Philippines. Thanks to MIAA’s media affairs department, through the access pass that they give to the press, they were able to serve as the public’s eyes and ears inside the airport. 


The liberty of the airport press to get news fast and accurate inside the terminal is feared to end by January 31, 2011, when the new memorandum circular of MIAA becomes effective. The new memorandum circular limits media coverage in all MIAA terminals that includes NAIA 1, 2 and 3; stating that media people will only be allowed to stay in the lobby. Unlike the previous years where accredited press members have ‘all area’ passes, aside of course from the runway that requires a special permit. 


According to Esperas this is the first time after his two decade stint as an airport reporter, that they received such order which according to them is not helpful in their line of work and would somehow deprive the public with information. 


“Ngayon lang kami ni-rerestrict ng hanggang dito sa lobby, without any consultation sa atin…ito broadcast TV o radio napakahirap po niyan, gaya kahapon nagkaroon ng emergency landing, napakahirap po lalo nasa lobby ka lang”, Esperas said.


During the interview of UNTV Reporter Bryan De Paz with retired general Vicente Guerzon MIAA’s assistant general manager, Guerzon countered the presumption of airport reporters. “Wala ho problema riyan if and when there are some issues that can be covered by media, they will be permitted to go inside the airport”, Guerzon said.  


Still airport reporters like Esperas worries that important events might slip by their watch, since they need to apply for a permit every time they will cover a story inside the terminal. 


From previous media reports, airport General Manager Gen. Jose Angel Honrado (Ret.) explained why they come up with the said regulation. “We want to sanitize the restricted areas to prevent facilitation and corruption,” Honrado said. 


He however made it clear that the media is not their sole target but also government officials who are issued access passes as well. They are set to recall all issued access passes and will conduct a re-assessment on who are eligible for an access pass including its restrictions.


But members of the NAIA Press Corps fears that while the management of MIAA intends to end “corruption and facilitation”, the new order might in any way or the other increase such cases since journalists are restricted to perform their duty as watchdog of the airport. 


“The moment na ipatupad ang restrictions ni GM Honrado sa media, mabubulag ho ang sambayanan at mamamayan kung ano ang mga kaganapan at kung sino ang may masasamang balakin”, Esperas said.


Esperas and his colleagues believe that if it were not because of the steadfast dedication of most members of the press who were granted all around access in the terminal, notable news events that involves corruption might have been hidden away from the public. 


Some of the most remarkable news stories that transpired in MIAA controlled airports include the arrivals of ZTE-NBN star witness Jun Lozada, former Agriculture Usec. Jocelyn Bolante (Involved in the fertilizer fund controversy) and the arrival of Cesar Mancao, a former police colonel who became state witness in the Dacer-Corbito murders.