NAIA Employees Warned about Saying ‘Merry Christmas’
By Bing Jabadan
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will not stop its employees from greeting passengers a “Merry Christmas” but this should mean that they are asking for money or gifts, an airport official said.
MIAA general manager Ed Monreal said Christmas greetings will not be prohibited provided that there are no “underlying tones or meaning” when MIAA employees greet passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Monreal said greeting passengers “for the purpose of soliciting gifts or favors is strictly prohibited and will be dealt with accordingly.”
“Instead of Christmas greetings with underlying messages, they better just say ‘Good morning’, ‘Good afternoon,’ or ‘Good evening’,” Monreal said.
He said Filipinos are known for being friendly and hospitable and extending holiday greetings to departing or arriving passengers “is part of our culture and the nation’s traditional observation of the Christmas season.”
While extending Christmas greetings to passengers is not being discouraged, Monreal insisted that airport employees must be cautious to avoid being suspected of “soliciting” gifts or cash.
He said airport employees must be “very careful with their tone and body language so as not to impart the impression that they are asking for gifts or favors.”
The airport manager also said he is leaving it up to other agencies operating in the NAIA terminals—such as the Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Customs—to decide whether or not their employees can greet passengers a “Merry Christmas.”
(Source: HongKongNews.com.hk)