On Tuesday, the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) issued a clarification regarding the suspension of mandatory footwear removal in all airports nationwide.
The suspension remains in effect, but footwear removal is now being carried out “randomly,” as stated by OTS officer-in-charge, Assistant Secretary Jose Briones Jr.
“Yung pinapatanggal ng footwear ay yung dumadaan sa screening sa tinatawag nating AIT or advance imaging technology na parang aquarium… SOP (standard operating procedure) doon na talagang dapat magtanggal ng footwear kasi hindi mababasa ng equipment kung merong tinatagong bawal sa paa kasi may limitation siya,” Briones said.
He stated that AIT is the primary screening process capable of detecting illegal substances such as explosives.
Briones further explained that the secondary screening at the airport involves a walkthrough metal detector, which can solely detect illegal contraband composed of metal.
The OTS issued this statement in response to a post on the social media platform X, which revealed that some passengers were still being asked to remove their shoes at the departure area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Tuesday.
At the airport, there are both passengers in favor of the shoe removal policy and those who oppose it.
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OTS clarifies footwear removal at airports implemented ‘randomly’
Briones explained that three AIT units are at the NAIA Terminal 3, and all passengers passing through these screening machines must remove their footwear.
“Yun po kasi ang work instruction o SOP once dun ka matatapat sa AIT specially yung mga US-bound passengers,” Briones explained.
The OTS official clarified that the US government donated all AIT machines at the airport to the Philippine government.
Briones made an appeal to the public, asking for more understanding, and emphasized that this was a component of airport security protocol.
The OTS had previously announced the suspension of mandatory footwear removal during the final security checkpoint at airports on October 13. This suspension is in place pending a review by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
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