MANILA, Philippines— Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo on Monday complained about the inconvenience he experienced at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 last Saturday.
Panelo, who arrived from Japan after being in President Rodrigo Duterte's delegation for a four-day working visit, cited that it took them two hours to retrieve their luggage.
He said there were only two carousels functioning while ther were four flights simultaneously arriving from London, Bangkok, Singapore and Japan.
"Not only that, the [air conditioning] was not functioning, if at all; and there was no space to maneuver or to move, because... can you imagine hundreds of passengers in front of one or two carousels," Panelo said in a press briefing on Monday.
Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal on Monday apologized for the inconvenience experienced by Philippine Airlines passengers who arrived at NAIA 2 last Saturday.
He explained that one carousel broke down and the flight delays caused simultaneous arrivals. He added that the limited ventilation was due to the ongoing rehabilitation.
READ: MIAA sorry for inconvenience at NAIA 2
Panelo, for his part, said that although he understand the ongoing rehabilitation and accepts the apology of Monreal he called on the airport authorities to check the carousels regularly.
The Palace spokesman added that he commends Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade for taking responsibility for the airport facility lapse.