A retired official of the Philippine Navy couldn’t hide his disappointment after he was not allowed to use the Heroes’ Lounge at the Tuguegarao Airport.
To make things worse, the complainant was one of the few alive Medal of Valor awardees in the Philippines, Ret. Col. Ariel Querubin.
He said he was not allowed to use the lounge with other retired generals because it was already reserved for some ‘Chinese-looking’ individuals.
“After a very fruitful trip in Isabela and Tuguegarao the past few days, I was very disappointed to find that myself and a handful of retired generals were not allowed to use the Heroes Lounge of the Tuguegarao Airport because it was reserved for these chinese looking individuals,” said Queriubin.
“Are the Chinese the new heroes in this country? Definitely NOT! Attention to CAAP Airport Manager Mary Sulyn Sogorsor. Please take accountability for this,” he added.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Heroes Lounge was built for the members of the police and military and their families for free.
It also includes Medal of Valor Awardees like Querubin.
There were only 41 members of the AFP who received the said honor because of their exceptional bravery.
However, it seems that even foreigners were now allowed to use it.