President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered an investigation into the alleged “tanim-bala” or bullet-planting extortion scheme at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) even as three airport employees were sacked over the incident.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that Mr. Marcos tasked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to conduct a thorough probe into the matter.
“This should not happen again. The President has ordered an immediate investigation, and if proven true, those responsible could face dismissal from their positions,” Castro said during a press briefing on Monday.
“Whether tourists or our fellow Filipinos fall victim to this, the President will not tolerate such acts. Those accountable must be held responsible after a thorough investigation,” she added.
As this developed, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon terminated from service the three security screening officers (SSOs) behind the resurfacing extortion racket.
On March 6, a passenger named Ruth and her daughter Cai, reported that Office for Transportation Security (OTS) personnel claimed to have found an empty bullet case in their luggage, but upon inspection, nothing was discovered.
“We will not tolerate this kind of behavior,” said Dizon at a press conference. “If that happened to me, I would be traumatized. We know that as passengers, this kind of situation is very stressful.”
Dizon did not identify the three SSOs involved, saying they are still under investigation.
He also instructed Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports, Capt. Jim Sydiongco, Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Eric Jose Ines, and OTS Administrator Arthur Bisnar to review the security screening protocols to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
The “tanim-bala” scheme, in which bullets are allegedly dropped into passengers’ luggage as part of an extortion racket, has been a long-standing concern at NAIA, sparking widespread criticism and calls for reform.
This scandal first came to light in 2015, when at least 30 cases involving errant OTS security officers were recorded, primarily affecting overseas Filipino workers and foreign tourists.
In 2023, the OTS faced further controversy when a female security screening officer was caught on CCTV swallowing three $100 bills stolen from a Chinese passenger departing Manila.
The officer was reportedly in collusion with at least two other airport personnel, including a baggage X-ray machine operator.
The series of thefts and other irregularities reported in 2023 involving OTS staff prompted House Speaker Martin Romualdez to call for the resignation of then-administrator Ma.O Aplasca, who initially filed for a leave of absence but later stepped down.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos orders investigation of NAIA ‘tanim-bala’ incident.”