Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III to surrender NAIA access pass

MANILA, Philippines — A party-list lawmaker caught on video bullying an airport screener said yesterday he is returning the access pass given to him by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

ACTS-OFW party-list Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III was seen on the surveillance video at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Saturday refusing to remove his shoes at the final security checkpoint, shoving his access pass in the Office of Transportation Security (OTS) personnel’s face and then snatching the screener’s identification card.

“Ipapa-surrender ko na ‘to (I will surrender this). To be fair, I don’t want my fellow congressmen and other holders of my ID na madamay pa (to be involved),” he said.

Bertiz said he also wants to apologize to the OTS screener, identified as Hamilton Abdul. He said he only showed his access pass to the screener because it was the only ID card in his bag at the time.

“Patawarin mo ako sa aking inasal. Hindi tama ‘yun para sa isang kinatawan ng gobyerno (Forgive me for my behavior. It is not right for a government official),” he said, addressing his apology to the screener.

The MIAA said Bertiz has not surrendered the access pass as of 6 p.m.

MIAA general manager Ed Monreal yesterday said the airport pass given to Bertiz is a privilege and can be revoked in case of abuse.

He said Bertiz holds an airport pass that gives him access to NAIA Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4 but not to  the general aviation, ramp and other areas off-limits to the public.

Monreal said when Bertiz told him about the incident and his complaint, “without knowing the facts, nag-apologize ako sa kanya (I apologized to him.)”

The MIAA chief, stressed, however, that the airport screener did nothing wrong.

“I stand by what he did,” he said.

The lawmaker is facing an ethics complaint at the House of Representatives in connection with the incident.

‘Sexist’

Bertiz drew flak anew yesterday, this time for making “sexist” remarks on women’s menstrual cycles.

On Monday, he attributed his outburst at NAIA to “monthly periods” he gets once a year.

“Naging dialogue ko na lang iyun sa wife ko na kapag may topak: Monthly period ba ngayon (It’s just my dialogue with my wife that when she has a tantrum: is she on her monthly period)? Yeah, that was very stupid. Sa mga hanay ng kababaihan: Isa pa iyun na humihingi ako ng tawad (To the women: I am asking forgiveness for this),” Bertiz said in an interview with “The Source” over CNN Philippines.

Gabriela party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus said the issue is Bertiz’s arrogance.

“Women should not be stereotyped as arrogant and entitled during their menstrual period,” she said in a statement. “He should not involve women because he is the one with the problem.”

Everywoman, another women’s group, said Bertiz’s justification for his behavior is “ludicrous.”

“Science has shown that sexism is the refuge of the abusive and domineering,” the group stated, adding that “this lie about women’s irrationality is just a fantasy made up by men like Bertiz to cover up that they cannot compete with most men and women.”

Everywoman said the only thing normal about Bertiz is “that he has become the norm of how a public official should behave under a regime that thrives on misogyny, precisely because hatred of the poor, of women, of the disabled is the only thing left for it to feed its supporters.”

Answering calls for Bertiz’s ouster, Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez tweeted that it is the party-list organization that should determine who should be its representative in the House. – Sheila Crisostomo, Rudy Santos

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