If travelling abroad, especially if you are an OFW, just
to ensure that your electronic gadgets such as mobile phones, smartphones, and
tablets are safe and working, make it full charge before reaching the NAIA
Terminal. The authorities in the NAIA, and other Philippine airports are
checking gadgets that are carried by passengers on international flights, most
particularly those going to the US. The Office for Transportation Security
(OTS) says they began their inspection of electronic gadgets to passengers
traveling from out of the country at the NAIA. The process is simple, they will
turn on the gadgets to check if the devices and gadgets are working or
functional. Gadgets without power or defective will be confiscated and the
owner could be interrogated or will undergo a background check, perhaps?
The supervisor of the OTS says that he had orders from the
higher authorities to follow the policy as soon as possible.
The electronic gadgets will also pass through the X-ray
scanning machines. This strict implementation is following the U.S.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directives that all airlines and
airports must check the passengers especially the Philippine Airlines passengers
that have direct flights to the U.S. from NAIA to Hawaii and other mainland
cities in America. This precaution is for the safety of the passengers for any
event such as a terrorist attack. They say that one cell phone is capable of
making a bomb that can create explosion.
The agency also said devices that fail to power up won't be
allowed on planes and that their owners might have to undergo extra screening
before boarding.
“As the traveling public knows, all electronic devices are
[already] screened by security officers,” TSA said in a statement.
The TSA implemented the directive after some experts
suggested that a new type of improvised explosive device (IED) could be planted
in a laptop or other electronic devices.”
©2014 THOUGHTSKOTO
