This story was updated at 4:43 p.m. on May 5, 2025.
On Sunday, May 4, an SUV rammed into a crowd outside the departure area entrance of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in Pasay City, crashing through the bollards on the walkway, injuring four, and killing two: a five-year-old girl and a 29-year-old man.
According to the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the driver, Leo Gonzales, was about to leave the departure area after dropping off a passenger when a sedan passed in front of the SUV, prompting Gonzales to step on the gas pedal in a panic instead of stepping on the brakes.
The LTO has preventively suspended Gonzales’ license for 90 days. Under police custody, he is set to undergo a drug test. On Monday afternoon, May 5, police filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in two counts of homicide, multiple injuries, and damage to property against Gonzales.
The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Among them is the child’s mother, who was also at the airport to send off her husband, an overseas Filipino worker. New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) President and SMC Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang said that he will personally shoulder the expenses of the injured individuals and provide financial assistance to the families of the dead.
While authorities continue to investigate the car crash, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has also launched a probe into the effectiveness of the airport’s bollards, which were installed to prevent such accidents by acting as barriers against running vehicles. SMC leads the NNIC consortium that took over NAIA’s operations in September 2024. Before that, it was managed solely by the government.
“Ang purpose ng bollard, kailangan doon na huminto ‘yong [kotse],” said Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon in a press briefing on Monday morning. According to him, the bollards will “most likely be replaced.” Footage and photos from the accident show that a bollard was dislodged upon impact and may not have been properly anchored to the ground.
A Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) accomplishment report from 2019 says the bollards were put up around all NAIA terminals in July 2019 and cost P8 million. The document says the bollards were installed to “promote terminal safety by preventing the vehicles from ramming into the walls of the terminals at the curbside parking area.”
But in a Facebook post, engineer and online personality Clark Ferrer or “Mr. Contractor,” suggested that the barrier’s failure to hold might have been caused by negligence and corruption. Ferrer said “someone cut corners,” “rushed the job,” and “pocketed the money.”
As of writing, the contractor of the bollard installation project has not yet been identified.
