IS it really more fun in the Philippines? In 2014, the government has recorded 34 million domestic and international arrival and departures at the country’s premier gateway. Despite a “worst airport” tag, it is a welcome development.
But if you ask 56-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Gloria Ortinez, she would blatantly say “No.” After her recent balikbayan trip, Ortinez was prevented from leaving the country after an Office of Transportation Security (OTS) allegedly found a bullet for a carbine rifle in her hand-carried bag.
Ortinez was bound for Hong Kong to resume her employment. She was barred from leaving the country and was detained after failing to pay P80,000 ($1,900) bail on charges of illegal possession of ammunition filed before the Pasay prosecutor’s office.
Lane Michael White, a 20-year-old American missionary, shares Ortinez’s sentiments. White and his family were in the country last month to look for a lot in Palawan where they can build a church for their congregation. The family trip was disrupted when the OTS allegedly found a 22-cal. inside White’s baggage. White was held at a detention cell for six days after he was charged for violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
White, who is from Florida, insisted that the bullet found in his luggage was “planted” and that an airport officer tried to extort P30,000 ($640) from him to avoid legal problems. “They can lie to people but not to God. I stand by my statement. If my being jailed was needed to make the truth come out and save other people, then being in jail was worth it,” White shared.
Ortinez and White shared the same ordeal that apparently has been going on for two decades. A reliable source told ABS-CBN News that the “tanim bala” (bullet planting) scam has gone unabated for the past 20 years. The source also disclosed that airport security screening personnel are allegedly employing ‘spotters’ to help them find the ‘perfect’ passenger to victimize.”
“The source said, before the tanim-bala modus operandi was exposed and reported by the media, the group normally victimized more than 20 passengers a day, raking hundreds of thousands of pesos from passengers who do not want to be hassled,” ABS-CBN News further reported.
The reported cases of “tanim-bala” have caused a pandemonium. On social, media airport passengers are now posting photos of them wrapping their bags in plastics and duct tapes or other embellishments to secure their own pieces of luggage.
President Benigno S. Aquino III has instructed the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to investigate the bullet-planting incidents. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was also tasked to probe and conduct “a thorough, in-depth, and comprehensive investigation and case build-up” on the scam that has gained international attention.
Aquino convened a meeting on Monday, Nov. 2 to verify the allegations and formulate long-term solutions.
“These are assumptions that we need to validate. That is why we need to look at all the assumptions that were put out. We want to make sure that what measures that we are going to come up with are measures that in the long run would ensure the safety of each and every passenger and guarantee their security as they use the terminals,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
The impact of these recent incidents poses a great concern for travelers who are eyeing the Philippines as their destination this holiday season. The national government and its concerned agencies must immediately resolve this extortion scam to ensure passenger safety for local and foreign air travelers and restore confidence in the country’s aviation system. (AJPress)
