Flight from Wuhan carried cargo, not passengers – BI

The flight from Wuhan City in China’s Hubei province that arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Saturday did not transport any passengers but only cargo, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) clarified yesterday.

The BI appealed to the public to stop spreading fake news about Chinese passengers arriving in the country amid travel restrictions due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente made the appeal after a viral photo on Facebook showed that Chinese arrived at the airport.

The post, which was uploaded by a political page, garnered thousands of shares on Facebook.

“Some people want to put malice in regular activities at the NAIA. So we ask the public to stop spreading false information,” Morente said.

Earlier, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said the Royal Air flight from Wuhan did not carry passengers.

Acting BI spokesman Melvin Mabulac said it was a cargo flight, with only crew personnel on board.

Wuhan was the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in China and was placed under lockdown for two months.

Morente reiterated that cargo flights are not banned under guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

“Flights from all over the world continue to operate at the NAIA, but with strict restrictions on the entry and exit of people,” he said.

Under current travel restrictions, only Filipinos, their spouses and children, accredited foreign government and international organization officials as well as crew of foreign airlines are allowed to enter the country.

“International travel restrictions remain in areas under GCQ (general community quarantine),” Morente said. –