An American war veteran who was stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City is now in the custody of his stepdaughter’s friend, an official said today.
Maurice Francis O’Connor, 75, got stuck at Terminal 1 of the airport after he missed his flight to Thailand a few weeks ago. He was briefly arrested for exposing his genitals to passengers and storekeepers, and for refusing to wear the face mask and face shield given to him by the airport staff. He also allegedly stole soda from a vendor and splashed water on the latter’s face.
He had been transferred to a Makati hostel by his stepdaughter’s friend, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal told ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo in an interview.
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“As far as MIAA is concerned, that person is no longer in our custody and he eventually went with the friend of his daughter. They took him and we have the documentation to prove that the passenger went with them,” Monreal said in English and Filipino.
Monreal added that airport staff took care of O’Connor during his stay by giving him food and water. He added that the MIAA “exhausted all efforts” to help the American.
“Being a national of the US, we called the [US] embassy. And because he was from Thailand and he has a Thai spouse, we asked for their embassy to intercede. But for some reason we couldn’t do anything,” he said.
O’Connor is reportedly a native of Massachusetts and fought as a soldier in the Vietnam War.
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