MALOU GUANZON APALISOK
Maangas ka raw” (People say you’re cocky,) TV news anchor Arnold Clavio of GMA 7 told ACTS-OFW party-list Aniceto “John” Bertiz III during an early morning interview yesterday. It was obvious that Clavio himself was eager to confront the politician with hard questions, sometimes cutting off the lawmaker each time he attempted to justify his behavior.
As anybody who has a gadget and is tuned in to the news now knows, the airport security row involving Bertiz and the hapless airport employee was captured by CCTV. The video clip has since gone viral after it was uploaded on social media.
Clavio opened the Q&A with a rather perceptive question which sounded more like an indictment: “Pumalag ka raw,” he told Bertiz referring to the congressman’s refusal to take off his shoes as he passed through the security checkpoint. Bertiz issued a fresh apology but tried to justify his actions saying that he did so because the airport security allowed two Chinese-looking nationals to pass through without complying with security protocol. Clavio told him the video does not support his claim. The congressman’s last line of defense was to say the video was spliced but there was nothing in the clip to amplify this point.
He also reminded the public about past issues that hounded the airport, from human trafficking, tanim-bala to thievery in the airport operations. In effect he was saying the present administration has done nothing since it came to power because these are the very same issues that did the Liberal Party in during the 2016 elections. Obviously, he tried to divert public attention away from his shameful behavior.
Clavio gave the politician ample time to say his piece but the anchorman cannot be distracted. He called Bertiz’ attention to the way he shoved his “all access card” to the face of the airport employee as if telling him he was entitled to flout aviation protocols because of his stature.
For the information of Cong. Bertiz, aviation security protocols are universal. They are not implemented only in PH airports but in all other international airports around the world owing to aviation mishaps arising from new-fangled strategies adopted by terrorists.
To name a few, the December 21, 1988 bomb explosion on Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers on board and 11 on the ground.
As a result, US carriers are required to X-ray all checked luggage. In December 22, 2001, a British terrorist named Richard Colvin Reid tried to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami. As a result, the US Transportation Security Act TSA began randomly searching shoes of passengers.
“Maangas ka raw,” Clavio remarked after he enumerated the controversies involving the party-lister: from the shouting match he had with an OFW in Hong Kong in 2017 to the speech he delivered in behalf of SAP Bong Go during the oath-taking of new agricultural and Biosystems engineers last September 26.
A clip of the oath-taking event circulated in social media and was shared many times because Bertiz made a tasteless pitch for Bong Go way ahead of the campaign period. Although he later clarified having made the statements in jest, netizens upbraided him for injecting politics in an otherwise apolitical gathering.
Despite the outcry, it’s not far-fetched Bertiz can still get off the hook because he has friends in high places. As deputy minority floor leader, he is said to be close to Minority Floor Leader Danilo Suarez and House Speaker Gloria Arroyo. But netizens have such enormous power. Next year’s elections will see if they will still allow this party-list to have a seat in Congress.