Pinoys are in collective disbelief after videos of pests terrorizing passengers in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) went viral online. First was the #SurotSerye, where passengers complained of bed bug-infested rattan and metal chairs. Next was a viral video of a huge rat or daga running around NAIA Terminal 3. That’s all it took for Pinoy conspiracy theorists to shake their heads in disgust and write paragraphs about what all these things could mean. In this case, all the signs point to many possible theories, such as…

Tanim daga modus?

We all remember the fear that the “tanim bala”/”laglag bala” days struck into the hearts of travelers, especially OFWs. In the bullet-planting scandal that started in September 2015, airport security personnel allegedly left bullets in unsuspecting passengers’ luggage to extort money from them. Many Pinoys are convinced that’s what’s happening now. Only, instead of tanim bala, it’s “dagdag daga.”

“Parang sabotage na yan, hindi basta basta lumalabas or nagkakadaga sa ganyang setting. Wala din food waste dyan para puntahan ng mga daga. Ang mga daga nasa residential areas and resto. So medyo kaduda duda yan,” wrote one.

“This feels like set-up,” said another netizen on X. “I lived in Baclaran, in a not-so-tidy neighborhood, for more than a decade. I know rats. They don’t act like that.”

Privatization tactics?

With the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and San Miguel Corp. (SMC) set to sign the NAIA rehabilitation contract this March 18, Pinoys believe all these pests running amok is a ploy for public sympathy. “Probably to push the narrative that privatization could do wonders,” said one comment on social media.

Many believe that these pests have one job — show the people NAIA needs to be better in all aspects. Ito talaga yun, tapos tataas yung singil sa airport fee kesho need if we want a cleaner airport,” said another suspicious Pinoy.

Is NAIA colonies?

Politics aside, some folks believe that these stray rats are a sign of a larger colony living within the bowels of the airport. The recent video of three mice making a meal out of someone’s leftover chichirya seems to prove this theory. “I have a hunch it means that the whole airport is already compromised with hundreds of colonies, with nowhere to go they start looking to the surface much like cockroaches,” read one comment.

Pest control is working

But maybe these sightings aren’t nefarious. Maybe it’s the total opposite. What if it means pest control is working, and it’s driving these pests crazy? In that case, maybe we should all salute NAIA for its less-than-deal sanitation tactics.

NAIA needs to be modernized

Whether there’s an abundance or absence of pests, one thing’s clear — NAIA desperately needs a makeover. “The airport is old and way tooooo ineffecient. They need to spend money to modernize it and really hold to proper standards para mas madali na ang process for travelling,” said one Redditor.

What do you think about this NAIA daga issue? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

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