Ninoy Aquino International Airport bullet planting scandal

Last updated

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport bullet-planting scandal, locally known as tanim-bala ("bullet planting") or laglag-bala ("bullet dropping"), was a scandal in the Philippines that began in September 2015 and lasted until early 2016, in which airport security personnel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila were alleged to have planted bullets in the luggage of passengers in order to extort money from them. [1] [2] Victims of the alleged plot were generally Overseas Filipino Workers, but also included non-Filipinos such as foreign tourists.

Contents

At least thirty cases of the scheme were recorded in 2015, according to the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP), while the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) recording only five such incidents. [3] The government denied it was responsible for the scheme. [4]

Bullet planting

The scandal became known on September 17, 2015, when a 20-year-old American missionary, Lane Michael White, accused the airport's personnel of extorting ₱30,000 from him after finding a bullet in his baggage. White, who was headed to Palawan, spent six days at the airport police facility and was freed after posting a ₱40,000 bail. [4] This was followed by similar incidents involving Filipino and foreign passengers who were only freed after they posted bail amounts of up to ₱80,000. [4] [5] In some instances, when the passengers were arrested, they refused to pay any penalties because they denied bringing the bullets. The passengers were freed only on the condition that they sign the logbook. [5] The bullet-planting scheme targeted passengers as old as 60, [5] including tourists. [6]

President Benigno Aquino III (son of Ninoy Aquino after whom the airport is named) then ordered the Department of Transportation and Communications to conduct an investigation of the alleged scheme. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) later confirmed that an extortion syndicate was behind the bullet-planting scheme, based on their initial findings. According to the NBI's investigation, some porters were involved in identifying potential victims for the bullet-planting scam. Allegedly, airport officials in the security and immigration services present in the four terminals of the airport then pursued target victims after their identification by porters. The usual victims were the elderly and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). [7]

Subsequent developments

On November 6, 2015, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz announced the creation of an inter-agency team tasked to monitor and assist OFW victims of the bullet planting scam. The inter-agency team was to be composed of representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, among others; the team would coordinate with the MIAA, the PNP-AVSEGROUP, the Office for Transportation Security, the NBI, and the Department of Justice. [8]

In a GMA News Online report published on November 24, a memo from the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) dated June 3, 2015, showed that the OTS has a cash reward policy for finding contraband items such as weapons and explosives at security checkpoints, providing for rewards of up to ₱1,000 for explosives, weapons, "stunning devices" and dangerous drugs found by OTS personnel or Security Screening Officers (SSOs). Transport Security Risk Management Bureau assistant administrative director Roberto Almadin confirmed the existence of the memo, but he said only two to three people had been given rewards. He also asked the public to disassociate the memo from the laglag-bala extortion scheme. The memo, signed by OTS administrator Roland Recomono, also stated that the rewards were instituted "to boost the welfare and morale of OTS personnel". A later memo dated July 8 had a revision of the category list, indicating that OTS personnel could claim rewards for a single piece of explosive and for every five pieces of ammunition found per month. Spocky Farolan, the legal counsel of an overseas Filipino worker who almost lost her job due to the alleged scheme, said the memo's lack of publicity could make the public more suspicious of the agency. [9] The following day, the MIAA installed disposal booths at NAIA to give passengers a chance to rid their bags of banned items. [10]

On July 6, 2016, newly elected President Rodrigo Duterte ordered new Aviation Security Group chief Mao Aplasca to its personnel that passengers caught with bullets would no longer be arrested. They would just need to undergo profiling, and could immediately board their flight after being cleared. [11] "We assure the public that tanim-bala is already a thing of the past. We will not condone any act contrary to the directive given to us by no less than President Duterte,” NAIA stated. [12] MIAA added, "Passengers found to have bullets or bullet-like items in their bags are now allowed to take their flight after proper logging of the incident. Prohibited items like bullets or ammunition whether as amulets or for any purpose are subject for confiscation." [13]

Complaint by Lane Michael White

On November 25, the camp of American national Lane Michael White expressed disappointment in the Philippines' justice system, which they perceived to be slow in resolving their laglag-bala case. White's camp expected the court to junk the case that day; a counter-motion from former Office for Transportation Security screeners prevented this. "Every time we come in here we're expecting it to be dismissed and it just keeps getting kicked down the road so I don't know. We have hope in the Lord but our hope in the court system here is fading fast," White's father, Ryan, was quoted as saying in a report from 24 Oras. White said his son was already feeling ill due to the stress he was facing from repeatedly having to attend court hearings. He also said they were not pleased with President Aquino's recent statement on the incidence of lagla-bala at NAIA. "If this is just a few random bandits running around and extorting people, this would have been squashed long ago. But the fact that it is still going on means that the entire airport is corrupt," he said. Ryan White was alleged to have had a bullet in his luggage when he checked through NAIA last September, possession of which is a crime in Philippine law. White's camp was reported to be holding out hope that their case would be resolved the following week. [14]

On December 10, 2015, the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) pressed charges against OTS employees and PNP-AVSEGROUP officers for allegedly trying to extort money from Lane Michael White. The money allegedly asked amounted to ₱30,000. [15] They faced charges for Violations of Article V, Section 38 (Liability for Planting Evidence) of Republic Act (RA) No. 10591 (the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act); robbery/extortion; and violations of RA No. 7438 and RA No. 3019. [15] The Department of Justice dismissed the criminal complaints against the employees in June 2016 due to insufficient proof of evidence that they planted the bullets. [16]

Reactions

Politicians

On October 31, 2015, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago filed a resolution at the Senate calling for the creation of a task force to tackle the issue. On the same day, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called for the resignation of airport officials if they would not determine and catch those responsible for the bullet planting incidents within 48 hours. [17] Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City, a presumptive presidential candidate in the 2016 Philippine presidential election, further alleged that a syndicate is behind the series of incidents. Duterte said the operation had been going on for more than two years. [18]

In October 2021, six years after the scheme was first reported, former senator Antonio Trillanes claimed that the left-wing Makabayan group was responsible for the laglag-bala operation with an intention to discredit President Aquino's administration. [19] The controversy had been one of the issues in the 2016 elections; Duterte, who was elected to succeed Aquino, said that his disappointment over the government's failure to handle the issue prompted him to run for president. [20]

Aquino administration

On November 4, former Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, who was the administration's presidential candidate for the 2016 elections, defended the government over the controversy, stating that bullet carriers have to take responsibility, saying: "If you enter the airport with contraband, then how does that become the government's problem?" He further stated that government data showed these cases mostly involved tourists coming from shooting ranges and had bullets for souvenirs. He told reporters that extorting money from people was inconsistent with the administration's Daang Matuwid (Straight Path) policy. During a press briefing at NAIA earlier that day, transportation officials said 6,000 similar cases had been recorded since 2012. [21]

On November 23, during a coffee meeting with reporters at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, President Aquino said that the statistics presented to him did not necessarily add up to the possibility that an extortion racket exists inside NAIA. He said that the controversy on the supposed laglag-bala extortion racket in airports had been "sensationalized" and used by certain groups to put his administration in a bad light. He expressed sympathy toward "innocent airport employees" who had been affected by the controversy. [22]

Internet

There was a public outcry among Filipinos on social media. [23] An online petition decrying the incident was started with about 12,000 people signing the petition as of October 31, 2015. [17] Internet memes also spread on Facebook against the government and Roxas for their downplaying, and/or denying, the laglag-bala scheme as a problem. One meme also pointed out the MIAA chairman's (retired major general Jose Angel Honrado's) being a cousin of President Aquino and the Department of Transportation and Communication secretary's (Jun Abaya's) being a great-grandchild of turn-of-the-20th-century revolutionary Emilio Aguinaldo (depicted in the 2015 historical epic Heneral Luna as a possible traitor).[ citation needed ]

International

A Japanese TV show satirically re-enacted the scandal, showing the theory of how the NAIA personnel may have supposedly planted bullets in travelers' bags. The host explained that the personnel would plant the bullets in the travelers' bags at airport security. Upon finding the bullets through the baggage x-ray machine, the personnel would open the bag to retrieve the bullets and offer the victim a fine to skip questioning and detention. It then showed footage of bags being wrapped in plastic. [24]

Hong Kong news sites Hong Kong Free Press and The Standard published their own reports over the laglag-bala scheme. On November 4, 2015, Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren on her program On the Record criticized Filipino airport authorities allegedly involved in the extortion scheme. She also said in a Facebook post, "The Philippines may get mad at me, but this airport bullet planting scam deserves to be called out!". [25]

Other

The mobile game application launched by Kulit Games and Mesocyclone Studios, entitled Tanim Bala, was inspired by the NAIA bullet planting scheme. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninoy Aquino International Airport</span> International airport serving Metro Manila, Philippines

Ninoy Aquino International Airport, originally known as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main international airport serving Metro Manila in the Philippines. Located between the cities of Pasay and Parañaque, about 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) south of Manila proper and southwest of Makati, it is the main gateway for travelers to the Philippines and serves as a hub for PAL Express, and Philippine Airlines. It is also the main operating base for AirSWIFT, Cebgo, Cebu Pacific, and Philippines AirAsia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABS-CBN</span> Commercial media network in the Philippines

ABS-CBN is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of the ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under Lopez Holdings Corporation owned by the López family. The network is headquartered at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City, with additional offices and production facilities in 25 major cities including Baguio, Naga, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, and Bulacan, where ABS-CBN's production and post-production facility in Horizon IT Park is located. ABS-CBN is colloquially referred to as the Kapamilya Network; its brand was originally introduced in 1999 and was officially introduced in 2003 during the celebration of its 50th anniversary, and was used until it was forced by the National Telecommunications Commission to cease and desist from free-to-air broadcasting due to the lack of congressional franchise. ABS-CBN is the largest media company in the Philippines and oldest television broadcaster in Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Philippines (1986–present)</span> Aspect of history

This article covers the history of the current Philippine republican state following the 1986 People Power Revolution, known as the Fifth Philippine Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Trillanes</span> Filipino politician (b. 1971)

Antonio Fuentes Trillanes IV is a retired Philippine naval officer who also served as a senator of the Philippines from 2007 to 2019. He is known for his involvement in the Oakwood mutiny of 2003 and the Manila Peninsula siege in 2007 in protest against the Arroyo administration, and as a vocal critic of the Duterte administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAIA Expressway</span> Expressway in the Philippines

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAX), signed as E6 of the Philippine expressway network, is an 11.6-kilometer (7.2 mi) elevated highway in Metro Manila, Philippines, which links the Skyway to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Entertainment City. Traversing the cities of Taguig, Pasay, and Parañaque, the NAIAX runs along Andrews Avenue, Electrical Road, and NAIA Road connecting the Skyway to Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Macapagal Boulevard, New Seaside Drive and the Manila–Cavite Expressway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Duterte</span> Filipino politician (born 1975)

Paolo "Pulong" Zimmerman Duterte is a Filipino politician serving as the representative of Davao City's 1st district since 2019; he was a House Deputy Speaker during the 18th Congress. He previously served as vice mayor of Davao City from 2013 until his resignation in December 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Philippine presidential election</span> Presidential race in the Philippines

The 2016 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on Monday, May 9, 2016, as part of the 2016 general election. This was the 16th direct presidential election in the Philippines since 1935 and the fifth sextennial presidential election since 1992.

2014 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Lim-Napoles</span> Filipina businesswoman and convicted criminal

Janet Lim-Napoles is a Filipina businesswoman who is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) Scam. She was convicted of plunder for her involvement in the PDAF Scam and is facing charges for alleged involvement in the misuse of the Malampaya fund for disaster response operations.

2015 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in 2015. International events that are connected, or concerned with the Philippines are also included in this significant and important article.

2016 in the Philippines details events that occurred in the Philippines in 2016.

The following are the events in related to Philippine law in 2016. This includes developments in criminal investigations of national notability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inauguration of Rodrigo Duterte</span>

The inauguration of Rodrigo Duterte as the 16th president of the Philippines took place at around noon (PHT) on Thursday, June 30, 2016 at the Rizal Ceremonial Hall of the Malacañang Palace in Manila. The oath of office was administered by the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Veronica Duterte, Duterte's daughter with Honeylet Avanceña, held the Bible of the president's late mother Soledad. Veronica was joined by her three siblings, namely Sara, Paolo and Sebastian.

2018 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in 2018.

2019 in the Philippines details events of note that have occurred in the Philippines in 2019.

2020 in the Philippines details events of note that have occurred in the Philippines in 2020. The year is largely defined by the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the national economy to go into recession would continued until the state of public health emergency was lifted in the country on July 22, 2023.

On January 1, 2023, at 9:49 a.m. Philippine Standard Time, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) detected issues with its Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay, Metro Manila. Electrical problems brought the center's radios and radars offline. Shortly after, nearly all flights towards major airports in the Philippine airspace were put on hold or diverted. Flights that were about to enter the Philippine airspace were either diverted to neighboring countries, returned to point of origin, or rerouted to neighboring airspaces. By noon, no commercial aircraft were inside the Philippine airspace. Around 282 flights to and from various Philippine airports and over 56,000 passengers, many of whom were travelling to or from the country following the New Year's Day holiday, were affected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninoy Aquino International Airport dollar-eating incident</span>

On September 8, 2023, a suspected theft incident was reported by a departing Chinese national at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila, Philippines.

References

  1. ↑ Constante, Agnes (November 3, 2015). "US-bound Filipino latest victim in alleged bullet planting scheme at NAIA". Asian Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ Medenilla, Samuel; Postrado, Leonard; Fernandez, Ariel (November 4, 2015). "'Tanim-bala' sowing fear among tourists". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ Cupin, Bea (November 5, 2015). "Roxas on laglag-bala scheme: 'Syndicates must pay'". Rappler. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "TIMELINE: Recent cases of alleged bullet scam at NAIA". TRappler. November 2, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Failon Ngayon: Tanim-bala Scam" (in Tagalog). ABS-CBN News – via YouTube.
  6. ↑ "TV Patrol: Isyu ng 'tanim-bala', pinalaki lang: PNoy" (in Tagalog). ABS-CBN News – via YouTube.
  7. ↑ Carvajal, Nancy (November 5, 2015). "Naia syndicate confirmed". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ "DOLE creates inter-agency team to aid OFW 'tanim-bala' victims". ABS-CBN News. ABS-CBN Corporation. November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Takumi, Rie (November 24, 2015). "OTS provides cash rewards for finding contraband – official memo". GMA News. Retrieved November 25, 2015– via gmanetwork.com.
  10. ↑ KG (November 25, 2015). "OFW on the way to Macau caught with bullet at NAIA". GMA News. Retrieved November 25, 2015– via gmanetwork.com.
  11. ↑ Esperas, Raoul (July 7, 2016). "Duterte orders end to 'tanim-bala'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  12. ↑ Regalado, Edith. "New tanim bala? Duterte wants NAIA report". Philstar.com. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Duterte admin won't tolerate 'tanim-bala' : SAP Go". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ Medina, Andrei (November 25, 2015). "Camp of American with 'laglag-bala' case laments slow pace of PHL justice". GMA News. Retrieved November 25, 2015– via gmanetwork.com.
  15. 1 2 "US missionary welcomes raps vs 'tanim-bala' culprits". ABS-CBN News. December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ "DOJ junks crime raps vs. NAIA staff, cops over 'laglag bala' racket". GMA News. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Santiago, Cayetano call for probe of reported 'tanim bala' scam". CNN Philippines. October 31, 2015. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  18. ↑ Tesiorna, Ben O. (November 3, 2015). "Duterte says syndicate is behind 'tanim bala' extortion scheme". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015– via cnnphilippines.com.
  19. ↑ After the Fact: Did Trillanes block Colmenares in Robredo Senatorial Ticket? (in English and Filipino). ABS-CBN News Channel. October 18, 2021. 22 minutes in. Retrieved October 20, 2021– via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "Duterte now open to running, says he is disappointed over Poe decision and 'laglag-bala'". Kicker Daily News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ Dullana, Raymon (November 4, 2015). "Roxas on laglag-bala: Bullet carrier has to take responsibility". Rappler. Retrieved November 6, 2015– via rappler.com.
  22. ↑ Alvarez, Kathrina Charmaine (November 23, 2015). "Laglag-bala issue sensationalized to be used vs. admin –PNoy". GMA News. Retrieved November 25, 2015– via gmanetwork.com.
  23. ↑ "Isang bala ka lang: Netizens decry 'laglag-bala' incident". Rappler. October 28, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Japanese TV show reenacts laglag-bala in PHL airports". GMA News. November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  25. ↑ Takumi, Rie (November 5, 2015). "From AlDub's record-breaking love team, PHL now draws world attention to laglag bala". GMA News. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  26. ↑ "LOOK: 'Tanim-bala' game available on Google Play". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.