Suspended or not? OTS clarifies rule on footwear removal at airports | ABS-CBN

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Suspended or not? OTS clarifies rule on footwear removal at airports

Suspended or not? OTS clarifies rule on footwear removal at airports

Johnson Manabat,

ABS-CBN News

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MANILA — The Office for Transportation Security (OTS) on Tuesday issued a clarification on the suspension of mandatory footwear removal in all airports nationwide.

While the suspension is still in effect, footwear removal is being implemented "randomly", 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.

AIT is the primary screening process capable of detecting illegal substance like explosives, he said.

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Briones added that the secondary screening at the airport involves a walkthrough metal detector. It can only detect illegal contraband made of metal.

The OTS made the statement after a post on social media platform X showed that some passengers were still required to remove their shoes at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Tuesday.

Some passengers at the airport are in favor of the shoe removal policy while others are not.

"Okay lang naman po, kasi naka-socks naman din po kami as long as malinis yung tatapakan namin sa loob," tourist Miriam Hassan said.

But for Jojo Agregado, who is an OFW frequently traveling abroad, mandatory footwear removal is no longer necessary.

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"Hindi, hindi na pinapatanggal don sa ibang bansa eh. Ewan, kanya-kanyang restriction yan," Agregado said.

Briones said there are three AIT units at the NAIA Terminal 3, and all passengers going through these screening machines are required to 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 said all AIT machines at the airport were donated by the US government to the Philippine government.

Briones appealed to the public for more understanding and said this was part of airport security protocol.

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The OTS announced the suspension of mandatory footwear removal during the final security checkpoint at the airports last October 13, pending a review by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

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