I have been to different parts of the Philippines and traveling by air in Cagayan de Oro is by far, the worst. The security personnel of the city’s Lumbia Airport are very very rude and unfriendly. Just last week in my flight to Manila, the head security personnel barred my binoculars to be hand-carried. He said even laptops and digital cameras are not allowed inside the plane. I told him that these things are allowed to be hand-carry even in international airports and he replied “Sa Manila yun, Mindanao ito.” I had no choice but to leave the fate of my binoculars to the porters of the airport.

A friend of mine also had a bad experience in the said airport. She went to CDO for a vacation this October, and on the way home, was verbally harassed by the security personnel over a small basket of lanzones. Apparently, no baskets are allowed inside the aircrafts, according to them. They asked my friend repeatedly to go to the check-in counters of the aircraft and ask if the basket was allowed. Even though the aircraft crew assured the lady head security that such baggages are allowed inside the plane, she just bragged that they are the ones who have command in the airport.

On top of this, they do this we-have-our-own-rule thing in a very unfriendly manner, to the point of humiliating the passengers. Travelers like us have absolutely nothing against following the rules. But it would help a lot if these rules, whatever they are, will be explained in a manner that is not offensive or insulting

I sincerely hope the authorities and the local government of Cagayan and Misamis Oriental can do something about this so that they will not discourage the tourists. Such attitude does not fit a city that prides itself as the “Golden City of Friendship.”

Rei Panaligan
kalagimay@yahoo.com