TRANSPORTATION Secretary Vince Dizon said yesterday that three employees of the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) involved in the “tanim bala” incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last March 6 have been dismissed, adding that further investigations will be carried out.
In a press briefing, Dizon said, “We will not tolerate this sort of behavior against our citizens. So we are hereby announcing the termination of all the people in the OTS who were involved in the incident.”
The three were not identified.
Reports said a 69-year-old woman and her family nearly missed their flight to Vietnam last March 6 after she was accused of carrying a bullet or bullet casing in the form of an amulet during an X-ray inspection of their baggage.
A physical inspection of the luggage, however, did not show any bullet casing.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
Sen. Grace Poe urged Dizon to make sure the “tanim bala” scheme would make its way back to the country’s airports.
In a statement. Poe said Dizon’s swift action on the three OTS was most welcome since “innocent travelers” do not deserve to be traumatized by rogue airport personnel who were supposed to provide security, “not imperil their safety.
“Concerned authorities must not allow this defanged scheme to make a comeback to pester passengers anew,” Poe said.
“As the investigation proceeds, we hope assistance could be extended to the 69-year-old victim of this disturbing case,” she added.
Malacanang vowed that those behind the latest alleged “tanim bala” incident at the NAIA would be brought to justice after President Marcos ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, in a briefing, said the incident should not happen again and the President would not allow any Filipinos or even tourists visiting the country to be victimized anew.
“The President wants this to be investigated and through the help of DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon, this will be probed and if proven that this was true, those involved can lose their jobs,’’ she said.
Dizon said an investigation would be conducted, and administrative charges would be filed against those responsible. Dizon further warned that “any abuse will be met with the same result in the same swift actions from us, as mandated and as ordered by the President himself. We will not allow this to happen.”
After a suspected empty bullet shell was detected in a passenger’s bag during screening at NAIA Terminal 3, NAIA private operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) immediately coordinated with OTS and reviewed closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage related to the case.
In a statement yesterday, the NNIC said that passenger safety and security at NAIA is a shared effort among multiple government agencies, each with its responsibilities.
The OTS, under the Department of Transportation, is solely in charge of security screening, including X-ray baggage inspections.
The OTS has taken the lead in the investigation and will issue a statement to discuss its findings and next steps. – With Raymond Africa and Jocelyn Montemayor
