THE Department of Transportation headed by Secretary Vince Dizon announced that termination of three Office of Transport Security (OTS) personnel allegedly involved in an incident likened to the notorious ‘tanim-bala’ at the NAIA. The alleged incident took place on March 6 at NAIA Terminal 3.
Dizon said appropriate investigations will be conducted and proper administrative charges will be filed following investigation.
OTS administrator General Arthur Velasco Bisnar was directed to issue the dismissal orders immediately.
The incident also prompted President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to order a thorough investigation into the incident at the NAIA.
“Yes, this should not happen again. The President has ordered an immediate investigation, and if proven true, those responsible could face dismissal from their positions,” said Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro.
The incident went viral after a social media post by 69-year-old passenger Ruth Adel, who complained that she and her family almost missed their flight to Vietnam after airport security claimed to have detected an ‘anting-anting’ (amulet) in the form of a bullet casing inside her luggage.
Adel claimed she was already at the boarding gate when personnel from the DOTR-OTS approached her, claiming that an X-ray scan had detected a bullet shell in her luggage but when she asked about the alleged amulet, a security officer told her that the scanner had indeed identified a bullet casing inside her luggage, which she denied.
