Drilon, aides trapped in Senate elevator

Sen. Franklin Drilon and six other people were trapped for 10 to 20 minutes inside "Elevator 3" of the Senate office at the GSIS Building in Pasay City yesterday, raising concerns for the safety of service elevators at the Senate.

Drilon was riding the elevator from the ground floor to his fifth-floor office when the elevator got stuck on the third floor. He was trapped along with staff members Paul Torres, Lyn Eyana and Joven Castuerra, his security officers Junnie Caballerro and Jim Pesigan, and Gina Lopido, elevator operator.

"There was nothing scary about what happened," one of the senator’s staff officers said.

Lopido said Drilon and his entourage rode the elevator around 3 p.m., apparently after they came from the Supreme Court where senators argued the case on the arrest of Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) Chairman Camilo Sabio.

"It got stuck on the third floor. I immediately used the emergency phone and called up my colleague to seek help from the maintenance services because we were trapped inside and Senator Drilon was with us," Lopido recalled.

Drilon’s security detail had also radioed for help from their colleagues who were in the parking lot. It took Senate personnel some 10 to 20 minutes before they could open the elevator door and subsequently schedule it for repairs.

Although the situation was under control, an exasperated Drilon asked the elevator personnel not to use the elevator if it is malfunctioning. Elevator 3 is reserved especially for senators and VIPs at the Senate.

For a while, the elevator continued to ferry passengers until the maintenance crew suspended operations pending a thorough inspection.

Drilon refused to be interviewed on the "elevator incident."