Making a comeback?

Is this infamous airport scam making a comeback? Departant of Transportation (DOTr) Sec. Vince Dizon immediately sacked three personnel from the DOTr’s Office of Transport Security (OTS) for a bullet-planting (tanim-bala) scheme at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The victim was a 69-year-old woman bound for Vietnam. She was stopped at the boarding gate and accused by OTS personnel of carrying an amulet (anting-anting) in her luggage. She demanded an actual inspection of her luggage, but the OTS personnel refused and told her to accompany them to a holding area. 

She held her ground and refused to go anywhere, prompting these OTS to call a supervisor who then said the bullet was found in her handbag, not in her luggage, even showing her an X-ray image of the bullet. But her sharp eyes noticed a discrepancy in the image as her bag contained no keys. Good for her. I assume their scam had been exposed and just let her go. These morons can’t even get their stories and evidence right. What a bunch of dumb losers.

Dizon said an investigation is still ongoing but again, res ipsa loquitur. The lady already pointed out a discrepancy in the X-ray image, plus the fact they couldn’t reconcile their stories, whether the amulet was in her luggage or handbag. In that case, that should be enough to file a case against all three personnel. If Sec. Dizon wants to continue his no-nonsense style of dealing with erring government personnel, he should already have cases filed against them.

What the lady and her family went through is no laughing matter. I can imagine the stress they all felt when being accused by airport security personnel. These morons specifically accosted her at the boarding gate so she wouldn’t have time to defend herself before the plane left. Luckily for her they were idiots, which isn’t at all surprising. This incident serves as a warning to all passengers at NAIA to be very careful when it comes to both their checked-in and carry-on bags.

Any accusation of having amulets with bullets or casings must be met with skepticism. Have your cameras ready to record everything. The OTS has proven it is not your friend. Its personnel should always be met with caution and suspicion. It is for them to prove they are trustworthy, not the other way around. I can’t believe they would think this scam would be worth doing, after what the public has gone through in the past years. Desperate times for government employees? Then they should try unemployment.