No security lapse, Mactan airport execs insist

CEBU — Officials of the Mactan Cebu International Airport denied that there was any security lapse in last Saturday’s grenade blast that killed the airport’s chief radar technician.

Police and airport authorities, however, are still baffled on how the grenade as well as high-powered ammunition found at the blast site slipped through security and found their way into the aviation office.

The Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) called a press conference the other day, announcing that it is adopting new measures to secure the airport.

MCIAA general manager Angelo Verdan said they are forming a security task force to include men from the Police Center for Aviation Security, the MCIAA police, the Philippine Air Force, the Air Transportation Office (ATO) and other law enforcement agencies.

Verdan said an immediate task of the team is to conduct a security survey of the airport.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), however, said they will conduct background checks on ATO personnel.

The grenade exploded inside one of the offices of the ATO’s radar facility, killing technician Cesar Simeon, 54, who was alone in the room.

Police found ammunition for M-16, .38 revolver and .45 pistol inside the room.

But while speculations were rife that the grenade may have been slipped in months before the incident, there was still no plausible reason how they managed to elude airport security.

The radar facility is approximately 2.5 kilometers from the airport terminal but close to the runway.

Arturo Evangelista, chief of the Police Center for Aviation Security, who considers the incident a "sensational and heinous crime," turned over the responsibility of investigating it to the CIDG.

But the CIDG seems to consider the incident as just "accidental."

Meanwhile, Verdan said the MCIAA will continue to inspect vehicles and subject airport employees to scanning and metal detectors.

He said he is activating the roving ramp patrol to monitor movements in the area. He said no one will be allowed entry at the airport unless a clearance is presented. — Freeman News Service