An air traveler bound for Singapore was stopped with a firearm in their carry-on luggage on Wednesday morning at NAIA.
In a report by Nimfa Ravelo on Super Radyo dzBB, PNP Aviation Security Group (AVSEGROUP) director Police Brigadier General Christopher Abecia said that OTS (Office for Transportation Security) personnel flagged the item in the passenger’s carry-on luggage at around 11 a.m.
Police officers subsequently inspected the item and confirmed that it was a .40 caliber firearm.
“Ang statement lang na binigay sa ating mga investigator ay laruan daw niya ito sa kanyang farm, and upon questioning and investigation wala siyang maipakitang pertinent documents doon sa kanyang pino-possess na firearm,” Abecia said.
(The statement the passenger gave to our investigators was that the firearm was a toy they had in their farm, but upon questioning and investigation they could not provide pertinent documents relating to the firearm.)
“Kakasuhan natin siya, pine-prepare natin yung dokumento for violation of carrying firearms. And ang isa pa, dahil election time ngayon, doon sa Omnibus Election Code,” Abecia added.
(The passenger will face charges of violation of carrying firearms and the Omnibus Election Code, because it is election period.)
The passenger is currently being held in custody in Termnial 3.
Bullets as anting-anting
Authorities at NAIA have also confiscated bullets from five passengers since the start of Holy Week.
Abecia said some of the passengers claimed that they kept the bullets as amulets.
“Ngayong Holy Week, simula nung araw ng palaspas o Holy Monday, so ilang araw ‘yun, three days or four days, mayroon tayong limang cases na na-intercept na nagpo-posses ng bala and again. Ang rason ng ating mga pasahero ito ay kanilang mga anting-anting,” he said.
(This Holy Week, starting from Palm Sunday or Holy Monday, so it’s been like three or four days already, we already have five cases of passengers who possessed bullets with them. They told us that they have it with them as amulets.)
Others said that their relatives might have secretly slipped the bullets in their luggage.
“Yung iba inaamin nila, pero yung iba hindi nila inaamin kasi upon investigation naman, pag-alis nila ng bahay, yung iba cases, nilalagay ng kanilang kapamilya. Kasi naniniwala tayong mga Pilipino na yung ilang piraso ng bala ay anting-anting,” said Abecia.
(While others admit to bringing it with them, some others deny that they actually possess bullets with them because in some cases, it was their relatives who inserted those bullets in their luggage. Because we Filipinos believe in amulets.)
To reduce inconvenience during the travel rush, the Department of Transportation said that authorities are opting to confiscate bullet-shaped amulets rather than offload passengers. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/BM, GMA Integrated News
