A 69-year-old passenger almost missed her flight with her daughter to Vietnam after personnel from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 inspected her bag, alleging that it contained a bullet shell.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ruth Adel shared that the incident caused her stress and high blood pressure, as three personnel seen in a video were laughing while claiming that there was a bullet shell, or "anting-anting," in her bag.
Adel also mentioned that their flight's boarding had already started, and there were only six minutes left before the plane was scheduled to take off.
"Hahabulin sana ang pagbili ng tubig, biglang may lumapit na babae galing sa security sa NAIA at nagsabing, 'Ma’am, excuse me po, may nakita po kasi kaming anting-anting sa bagahe nyo' (nginunguso niya ung maleta ko). Mabilis naman na sagot ko, 'Ano un, anong anting-anting?' at ang sabi nya, 'Basyo' (patawa-tawa pa)," said Adel in her post.
The personnel urged them to go to a different place for the bag inspection, but the senior citizen refused, as boarding had already started. The personnel said they would call their supervisor.
When the supervisor arrived, the personnel initially pointed to the luggage for inspection, but the supervisor indicated that the issue was with the handbag, showing an x-ray image of the bag where the bullet shell was allegedly found.
Adel said the bag shown in the image did not appear to be hers, as she had no keys inside it. The personnel also did not find the alleged bullet shell.
"Sa totoo, sa buong buhay ko, hindi pa ako nakakakita ng basyo ng bala na sinasabi nila... sa pelikula lang. kaya napaka impossible.," said Adel.
"Nang wala silang makita, bigla silang nagtalikudan dahil naka-video sila. Pilit nilang sinasabi na bawal mag-video, pero diba bawal din yang ginagawa nila?" she added.
The airport personnel allegedly did not apologize for the "inconvenience" they caused to the said passengers.
“Tanim bala” or “planting bullets” is a notorious extortion scheme where airport personnel or individuals working in cahoots with them plant bullets in passengers' luggage or carry-on bags. When the passengers are caught with these bullets, they are accused of attempting to smuggle ammunition, which can lead to arrest, fines, or bribes to avoid legal trouble.
This scam gained widespread attention around 2015 and sparked public outrage. Many victims, especially foreign travelers, claimed they were targeted and extorted for money to avoid criminal charges.
On Monday, the three security personnel involved in the viral post were relieved of their duties, as ordered by new Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon.
