NAIA "TANIM BALA" SCHEME AGAIN?

(Photo courtesy of Rappler)

MANILA, Philippines —According to a 69-year-old woman, security guards at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 attempted to harm her by "tanim-bala" (placing a bullet), which nearly caused her to miss her trip to Vietnam. 

Ruth Adel claimed on Saturday in a Facebook post that she and her family had already arrived at the boarding gate on March 6 when she was approached by representatives of the Department of Transportation's Office of Transport Security (DOTr-OTS) who informed her that an amulet, or "anting-anting," had been discovered in her luggage. 

Adel claimed that when she inquired about the meaning of an amulet, a security guard "laughed" and informed her that X-ray scanners had found a gunshot shell in her luggage. 
Adel claims that because the security officer made the accusation “very casually,” she believed she was being “pranked.” When she rejected it and requested that her bags be examined immediately, the security staff insisted she accompany them. 

However, Adel and her family declined since they did not want to be left behind and their flight's boarding had already begun. 

When the OTS staff arrived, they informed their supervisor that the shell was in Adel's handbag rather than her luggage and promised to call them. She was also shown a picture of the X-ray scan that purportedly revealed the gunshot shell. 

"Shaken" by the event 

However, the keys in my luggage were different from the ones in the picture they showed me. She remarked, "What they were saying was inconsistent, so I was already confused." 

"It is impossible that the alleged contraband was mine because I have never actually seen a bullet," she continued. 

Adel claimed that "they turned their backs on us because we were taking a video of the incident" after searching her luggage and failing to find the shell. They claimed that recording them was illegal, but what they were doing was illegal as well. 

She said the security guards hid their name tags "as if they weren't bothering people and what I felt didn't matter." 
Adel claimed that she threatened to report them for attempting to use the "tanim-bala" plot to harm her. 

“To be honest, this is the first time I have felt so belittled. I am already 69 years old, and whatever happened to me, I am sure they would not be held liable for it. My nerves were severely shaken, and my blood pressure went up after the incident. Even now, I still have nightmares about what happened to me,” she said in her post.

“I honestly thought the system here had changed,” Adel said, adding that she wanted to make sure authorities would conduct an investigation because “I don’t want them to victimize anyone else.”

“They didn’t even apologize for the inconvenience and trouble they caused me. If they don’t learn their lesson, these officers will continue to take advantage of others,” she said.

Sources: Inquirer, DOTr

Be part of IMHENYO COMMUNITY!

Get featured by sharing your stories, news and insights.

Email us at [email protected]