MANILA, Philippines — Fetching passengers who are arriving or departing from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 will soon be a “cool” experience after Transportation Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II ordered the installation of misting equipment in the airport vicinity.

Roxas instructed the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to provide misting equipment in the NAIA 1, which exclusively serves international flights, to help cool down welcoming groups of passengers, who are mostly families of overseas Filipino workers, amid the tropical heat.

Roxas saw the need for the misting equipment during his unannounced ocular inspection of the airport terminal last Monday. He said installing misting equipment, among others, is part of the government’s P1.16-billion facelift project for NAIA 1.

The DoTC chief said NAIA 1’s ongoing renovation would include maintaining the cleanliness of toilets and availability of sanitation facilities, installing misting machines and walkalators, setting up of additional immigration booths, and improving the metal, electrical, plumbing and fire systems of the airport.

Roxas said he paid a visit to personally see how the NAIA 1 renovation plan is being executed.

“We have to see what is actually going on. It’s difficult if you can see it only on papers and plans,” Roxas said at the end of his visit.

The Cabinet official urge the public to extend their understanding for the inconvenience that the airport renovation may be causing them, saying the renovation will have to be pursued while the airport is operating.

“You can see it’s a working facility, you don’t just close the area because this is being used every day,” he said. “The construction started in January and will not stop until it is finished.”

Last year, the Aquino administration allocated funds for the DoTC’s makeover program for NAIA 1, after it was adjudged as No. 1 among the “Worst Airports in the World” by the “The Guide to Sleeping in Airports.”

Various travelers and airport reviewers complained about NAIA 1’s “safety concerns, lack of comfortable seating, rude staff, hostile security, poor facilities, no – or few – services to pass the time, bribery, being kicked out and general hassles of being in the airport.”

“We have a NAIA 1 ‘Hilamos’ program wherein we will fix our ‘front door’ to make it bearable and presentable,” Roxas said.

Despite NAIA 1’s obsoleteness, Roxas said government is constrained to “live with it.”

“We have to live with the 30-year-old structure. The only thing we can do is fix it. But fixing it cannot be made overnight,” Roxas said.