Six Baggage Handling Staff at Clark Charged for Alleged Stealing of OFW Baggage

Clark International Airport ground handling agent Miascor has sacked six of its Clark-based staff on January 12 and filed qualified theft charges against them.  That according to a statement by the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC).  

Image source: Leila Razon/Wikimedia

These actions stem from allegations that the said staff have ransacked the baggage of returning Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) Jonevil dela Cruz.  dela Cruz and his companion arrived on a Jet Star Asia flight from Singapore.  dela Cruz posted the incident on Facebook and said that although he arrived on December 23, he only got notification to claim his baggage at the airport's police office on January 10.  It was then that he said he discovered that the zippers of his bags were destroyed and the bag's contents went missing.   

After dela Cruz posted the incident on Facebook, CIAC President Alex Caguiran ordered a fact-finding inquiry into it.  CIAC's investigation found that the bags were looted inside Miascor's office at the Clark Airport terminal.  The six staffers admitted to the incident.  In addition to the sacking and filing of charges by Miascor against the six staffers, CIAC filed separate charges against them and barred them from entering the airport's premises.  

Caguiran said that their early identification of suspects and quick filing of charges serves as a warning to everyone who intend to commit illegal acts at the Clark Airport premises.  He also indicated that such acts are not tolerated in the premises.  

Miascor, which acts as the baggage handler of Jet Star Asia at Clark International Airport, said that they have agreed to settle with dela Cruz the value of the lost possessions at ₱82,824.00 (approximately US$1,660 or £1,230).

Sources: ABS-CBN News, Business Mirror, Rappler