Filipino government investigating ENHYPEN airport frisking incident after fan uproar

The Filipino government will investigate the frisking of K-pop group ENHYPEN at the Manila airport which was captured in a viral video and incited an uproar among fans.

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The TikTok video, which was taken as ENHYPEN prepared to depart from Manila following their three concerts in the city, shows an employee of Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) giggling as she pats down the band members. Body checks are not encouraged under the Manila International Airport Authority’s no-contact protocols, which state that patdowns should only be conducted in “exceptional cases”.

Fans of ENHYPEN took to social media to accuse the staff seen in the video of unprofessionalism and violating the group’s personal space and privacy. Some also noted that the filming of the patdown itself violates etiquette guidelines posted by the group’s agency Belift Lab, which asks that recording not be conducted at airport checkpoints.

As the Manila Bulletin reports, the uproar over the video led to the phrases “nakakahiya” (which translates to ’embarrassing’) and “NAIA” to trend on Twitter in the Philippines yesterday (February 6).

The Philippines’ Office for Transportation Security has since confirmed that it is “investigating the matter to determine the extent of violation committed”. The transport authority added that it will “impose appropriate administrative sanctions, should it be necessary”.

Its statement concluded: “While we understand the excitement brought about by the presence of these Korean artists, we remind not only our personnel, but all airport users, that unauthorised filming at our security screening checkpoints is not allowed as a matter of policy.”

The viral video can be seen below.

nakakahiya maging pilipino kung ganto lang gagawin niyo. proper work ethics where? professionalism where? bakit ganto mga staffs niyo? bakit ganyan yung nagiinspect why is she smiling like that? is that how is it really supposed to be done? no right :))pic.twitter.com/ncJrZpwegL

— — (@forjay_only) February 5, 2023

Office for Transportation Security Administrator Ma. O. R. Aplasca also weighed in on the situation in an interview with Filipino TV station GMA, Manila Bulletin reported. The administrator explained that “as much as possible, the conduct of the pat down is male to male, female to female,” adding that though in some provinces female staff are allowed to pat down male passengers due to lack of staff, the Manila airport had more than enough personnel.

The administrator also told DZMM TeleRadyo that if the person who filmed the viral video was a staffer, they could be fired. Per Inquirer, Aplasca said, “For us, it’s like a breach of security. That’s a very serious violation of our protocols and procedures, it could amount to separation from our service.

“If we tolerate that, it’s possible for other people, even if they’re not VIPs, to film our screening checkpoint activities. And that is posing a danger to the traveling public.”

ENHYPEN had been in Manila to perform three shows as part of their ‘Manifesto’ world tour. The concerts took place at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on February 3, 4 and 5, with the third date on February 3 added in response to fan demand. The group previously performed in Osaka, Japan on January 21 and 22, and in Bangkok, Thailand, on January 28 and 29 prior to the Manila concerts.

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