NBI set to submit ‘tanim-bala’ report

MANILA, Philippines - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is set to conclude this week its probe of the alleged bullet planting scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Justice Undersecretary and spokesman Emmanuel Caparas said the NBI special task force on tanim/laglag bala (Talaba) is expected to submit its report on Wednesday.

“The report by the NBI Task Force Talaba will be released on Dec. 9, if not earlier,” he confirmed in a text message over the weekend.

In ordering the NBI probe early last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) initially gave the team until Nov. 18 to complete the fact-finding investigation.

But the team, led by NBI Anti-Organized Transnational Crime Division head agent Manuel Antonio Eduarte, failed to meet the deadline reportedly due to conflicting data from concerned agencies and unavailability of their officials for interview.

The bureau and other authorities were in full force for security operations during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that the country hosted last month.

The DOJ then granted a request for extension of the deadline and gave the team another 15 days to submit its report.