Immigration officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 bought their own stand fans and installed these at the immigration counters to alleviate themselves of the exhausting heat due to the non-working air-conditioning unit inside the airport terminal. Photo by Raoul Esperas
MANILA - Penitence started early for traveling passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 as the air-conditioning unit inside the terminal remained non-operational, aggravated by the malfunction of the immigration's computer system.
Passengers had to queue for hours at the departure immigration counter, using their passports or boarding passes as hand fans for a moment of relief from the heat inside the airport.
Airport medical personnel rushed to the departure immigration counter after an 11-year-old girl departing with her mother suddenly collapsed on the floor.
Lillie Go said they were lining up for immigration clearance when she saw her daughter collapse.
Thousands of passengers lined up for immigration clearance saw the incident.
After the girl regained consciousness, Go decided to push through with their flight with Asiana Airlines.
Immigration officers had already bought and installed individual stand fans in every immigration counter to relieve themselves of the exhausting heat inside NAIA Terminal 1.
But they appealed to airport authorities to install industrial fans while the air-conditioning units in the terminal are still out of order.
Meanwhile, due to power fluctuation, even the Internet connection at the terminal has not been functional for the past week. The media affairs office of the Manila International Airport was also affected.
General Vicente Guerzon, airport senior assistant general manager of Manila International Airport, berated Manolo Ereneta, head of the airport's Management Information Systems Division, for their failure to check and resolve the Internet connection problem at the airport.