Posted on 12/28/2005 8:57:03 PM PST by HAL9000
HE may consider it prudent not to wade into politics at this time, but former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez can never be away from the limelight for very long.The controversial businessman, who was released recently from a United States prison, has taken up the cause of Filipinos claiming to have been allegedly mistreated by the United States-based Northwest Airlines.
Jimenez announced during the Christmas weekend that he was planning to lead Northwest victims in filing a class suit against the US carrier for allegedly treating its Filipino passengers on its December 18 flight from Detroit to Manila like "second-class citizens."
"While I have already made known to officials of this airline the displeasure of their Filipino passengers during a stopover in Narita [airport in] Japan, I feel that we have to pursue the matter more forcefully to show to the world that we Filipinos fight for our rights," Jimenez said.
He said that when the flight was diverted from its scheduled stopover in Nagoya to Narita airport in Tokyo because of bad weather, Northwest personnel arranged hotel accommodations for Japanese passengers but not for Filipino passengers who had to wait it out at Gate 25 of the air terminal.
"Northwest personnel gave the Filipinos the cold shoulder treatment while denying them even the most basic information like how long they were supposed to wait it out at the airport and when the flight to Manila would resume," Jimenez said.
"It was only after I blew my top that we got some answers and some pillows and blankets. It was freezing cold at the terminal, but the dimwit personnel of this airline only gave them to us when I started making a scene. Imagine how the children and babies must have suffered," he said.
Northwest officials explained that the airline was not required to provide for the needs of stranded passengers if the cause of a flight's delay was beyond their control such as bad weather.
"If that is so, why then were the Japanese passengers given special treatment and provided transportation to places where they could stay?" Jimenez said.
Jimenez served out a two-year sentence in the US after he was convicted in 2003 for tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions.
On his return to the Philippines, Jimenez said he had no plans of getting into politics just yet.
Jimenez, who won a congressional seat in Manila, was disqualified from his post after falsifying his residency in the district where he ran.
Prior to his conviction, Jimenez claimed to have made multimillion-peso contributions to a charity group formed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Perhaps since they were Japanese citizens, they didn't need a visa to leave the terminal?
Maybe they read the signs, in Japanese.
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