📷Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin
MEMBERS of the House of Representatives are bent on supporting Vice President Sara Duterte’s call for tighter security at the airports – and that would require the need to encroach “some degree of privacy” like being caught in close circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in public places.
During the Senate hearing on the 2025 proposed budget for the Office of the Vice President, legislators explicitly expounded on what public service is all about, even as they claimed that being a public servant requires one to be open to public scrutiny and criticism.
Duterte previously slammed a photojournalist for taking pictures on July 24 while she and immediate family members were leaving the country for Germany via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The photo, which was posted on social media and published in the national dailies, put Duterte at the receiving end of nasty remarks and criticisms for pushing through with the foreign trip while super typhoon Carina battered many parts of the country.
She then said that the airport authorities should not allow journalists inside the NAIA premises.
Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin for her part said that while she respects the Vice President, airport security should not be tightened for a particular person or family.
“She is correct about securing the airport. We have security there, but not for the purpose of securing a certain person or a certain family. The security of an airport is there to secure all the passengers and to maintain peace within our country,” she explained.
“You know when you enter a public place, you expect many people to be there. So if somebody takes a picture…of course they know you, she is famous, many would ask for pictures. It’s something that is expected in a public place,” Garin added.
However, La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V finds it rather awkward for Duterte to make a big fuss about her security, which he claims is not even a public concern.
“For me, it’s not a public concern because regular people do not complain about security. It’s a personal concern. I think when she was in the airport, she was the most secured person there,” he averred.
1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, meanwhile, said that having media personnel inside airports should not be an issue because reporters are assigned to cover the country’s points of entry and exit.
“So if we’re going to talk about the security of one’s privacy, we can’t really expect much privacy as private persons if we go to public areas. Then how much more for public officials?” Gutierrez asked.
“So it’s possible that this (taking of photos) happens. If there are lapses in security, someone has to be held liable, but if I understand correctly, for our friends in the media, those in the industry, there are really beat reporters assigned at NAIA precisely to pick up news and information such as this,” he added.
Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong reminded Duterte that in the Philippines, public officials surrender a degree of their privacy.
“Very thin line. When we talk about security, I would really support any move or any proposal to secure public places, especially airports where people from different walks of life, inbound and outbound passengers converge. Definitely, it’s one of the things that we need to maintain, the security of all our public places,” Adiong said.
“But in terms of privacy…in the Philippines, there seems to be an interplay between a public servant, a public official, and that of a celebrity…So once you enter into public service, you somehow surrender a certain degree of privacy, unfortunately. And that’s been the problem not only of one individual public official but it is actually shared by all of us.” (ANGEL F. JOSE)
