CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President Alex Cauguiran assured Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Han Dong-Man that the Bureau of Customs will halt the opening of bags of Korean tourists passing Clark International Airport (CRK).
This was gleaned during the courtesy call of the ambassador to Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda and the former president now Second District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at Royce Hotel and Casino, here.
During the meeting, the ambassador confessed that more and more Korean tourists are already hesitant in visiting the Philippines following the alleged extortion and theft at CRK that went viral on Facebook this week.
In the said post, a certain Woo Seon Kyoung and her husband claimed some Customs officials talked to them and that they should pay some tax amounting to $137. She also included in her post that some of their belongings were missing.
“As the husband looked for his watch in confusion, the checkpoint quietly held out his watch. It was outrageous but we ran again because the boarding time was short. And we realized when we were on board. The electronic cigarettes that I put in the basket with my watch disappeared,” she said in her post.
Arroyo and Pineda, with their concern, immediately summoned Cauguiran and Bureau of Customs-Port of Clark Official Atty. Floro Calixihan for explanation and resolution of the problem.
In reply, Cauguiran assured the ambassador that the case is finally resolved and that they should not be afraid to use CRK anymore.
“Their concern, Your Excellency, is already settled. No more opening of bags. Number two, the post that went viral, we took care of it already. Please accept our apologies for the incident,” he explained.
He added that they will also solve the confusion brought about by language differences by hiring Korean interpreters in CRK.
“With the issue of communication, we are going to hire Korean interpreters within this week to work with us on a daily basis to avoid communication gaps,” he added.
Ambassador Han thanked Cauguiran, Pineda, and Arroyo for their immediate action. He also said that he will help his fellow Koreans to dispel their growing fear of traveling to the Philippines.
PHILIP OCAMPO
