The Philippine Department of Transportation – Office of Transportation Security (DOTr – OTS) has released an update for the list of prohibited baggage items to counter emerging threats to destabilize aircrafts and fight new and innovative ways of concealing weapons, in accordance to international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
OTS issued MC No. 005 series of 2019, also known as the Revised Prohibited Items List, superseding its precursor, MC No. 02 series of 2015.
In a statement, OTS Administrator, USEC. Arturo M. Evangelista had said, “Security is non-negotiable” and urged the public to “refrain from bringing items that are prohibited in the airport“ for their convenience.
The new list still includes an exhaustive number of liquids, aerosols, and gels (LAGS) with the addition of new chemicals and other toxic substances. There were also new additional items under the different categories such as disguised/improvised firearm, arrow, and dart, hand/thumb cuffs, air tank (as diving equipment), hoverboards and similar items, batteries/powerbanks, e-cigarettes, and e-lighters.
The list also details an updated list of items allowed only for either hand-carry or check-in, or both only:
Here are some of them:
Hand-carry and check-in:
- Crutches and walking sticks (only for people with visible mobility need, and after passing an electromic screening)
- Toy gun (unless prohibited in the country of destination or any transit point
Hand-carry only:
- Batteries and powerbanks (with special instructions from the airlines)
- e-cigarettes
Other items included in the list are made available via the official Facebook page of the DOTr-OTS:
Evangelista also urged the traveling public to ask when they are unsure.
“If you are unsure whether an item is prohibited or not, you may contact us through email, SMS Hotline, or any of our official social media accounts. Or better yet, if it is not that important, we suggest that you just leave it at home,” he said.
An update was also posted on the OTS’ official Facebook page regarding umbrellas. The lengthy discussion ended in a consensus which allowed for folded umbrellas in both carry-on and checked luggages.
Read the full post here: