ANGELES CITY – To further contain the spread of the dreaded Covid-19, now declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, a city councilor here is proposing the establishments of “security booths” at the nearby Clark International Airport.
Councilor Jesus “Jay” Sangil said he is urging the establishment of security booths at the said airport in line with Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr.’s restriction order on foreign nationals in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But Teri Flores, spokesperson of the Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) which operates and maintains CRK, said proper checking of arriving passengers are already in place.
“Health workers naman po ang nag-iinspect sa airport talaga,” Flores said. “Our forces are a combination of personnel from the Bureau of Quarantine, nurses from the office of Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda, and our own medics.”
“There are also special screening procedures especially for Korean nationals,” Flores added.
Meanwhile, Sangil, chairman of the city council committee on special economic zone, said he is recommending to Mayor Lazatin the booth system at the Clark airport and urging LIPAD as well as Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) officials to study the possible set up of inspection booths to be put alongside the immigration and customs area.
“After the immigration and customs area, the last inspection booth ay yung Angeles City booth with our health workers checking the arriving foreign visitors from highly Covid-19- infected countries,” said Sangil.
He explained that “the booth will be manned by city health workers and police personnel will monitor the temperature of foreign nationals from China, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Italy,” where the virus cases are high.
“In line with the Department of Health guidelines, if possible, we will recommend their 14-day quarantine in nearby NCC in Capas Tarlac to be sure,” said Sangil.
The city councilor added that “Clark airport is the strategic area to control the movement of arriving foreign nationals since this is their port of entry. Dito ang major bulk ng mga foreigners and other passengers maski kapwa natin Pilipino na galing sa abroad lalo na sa China, Korea among other virus infected countries.”
According to Sangil, for those who landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila “we can use the North Luzon Expressway-Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway tollgate of Angeles, Mabalacat, and San Fernando cities in Pampanga and other entry points of our city.”
“Mas okey na po yung masabihan na ‘overkill’ kaysa ma caught off guard at malagay sa peligro ang kalusugan ng ating mga kababayang Angeleños,” Sangil added.
