MIAA chief to public: Don’t bring bullet amulets to airports anymore

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado has appealed to the public not to bring bullets that they consider as "anting-anting" or amulets to airports.

 

Honrado said this following consecutive incidents of bullets being found in bags of passengers and even others who were supposed to pick relatives up, some of them being investigated in light of the alleged "laglag bala" extortion scheme.

 

"Ang paalala lang ho sa taumbayan natin, ilang buwan, ilang linggo na ho itong issue na ito, sana huwag na po tayong magdala [ng bala]. Alam kong kasama po sa kultura natin 'yung pagdadala ng amulet," he said in an interview.

 

 

He said some of the arrested persons claimed the bullets were amulets. "But the issue is, it has the full components of a live ammunition. So what can we do?"

 

Honrado, whose resignation is being sought following reports of the "laglag bala" racket, said the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) "has been trying to do their best in order to remove the doubt that there is 'tanim-bala.'" 

 

Awareness

 

Honrado said one of the major problems he sees regarding the issue is lack of awareness.

 

"We're trying to raise awareness... I think that one of the solutions for this is awareness," he said, adding that this includes putting up tarpaulin signs about prohibited items.

 

Honrado also said they will be putting up TV monitors at every gate for reminders as well.

 

"Kasi nasa kultura nga natin 'yung anting-anting, but kaya nga sabi natin, 'yung amendment sa law ay bago lang siya, baka hindi pa lahat nakakaalam. 'Yung iba naman first-time travelers na baka hindi pa alam na bawal 'yan, so I feel that from our part, we should be able to at least raise awareness," he said.

 

'Difficult to reverse'

 

In a separate interview on News To Go, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya asked the media to help in information dissemination as the culture of amulets is "very difficult to reverse."

 

"Maraming nagdadala ng bala na naniniwala na anting-anting ito. That is very difficult to reverse, 'yung kultura na naniniwala na proteksyon ito," he said. 

 

He added: "'Yun nga lang, pagdating sa airport, meron tayong batas na ipinatutupad. We have to implement the law, otherwise kakasuhan naman namin itong mga empleyado namin na hindi pinatutupad ang batas."

 

OTS officials on Monday said they are looking into six incidents of alleged "laglag bala" scheme. The ongoing investigation has led them to relieve 15 screening officers from their airport duties.

 

The said officers are restricted to work at the OTS headquarters.

 

Last-minute check booths

 

Meanwhile, Honrado said the MIAA is also planning to put up "last-minute check booths" for passengers who wish to discard prohibited items before entering the airport. 

 

"Para [ito] sa mga pasahero na if they feel that they are not so sure yet if their bags have been sanitized, puwede silang pumasok doon. Kung merong nakitang 'di dapat nailagay doon, ihulog lang sa isang butas doon -- no questions asked, nobody would know," he said.

 

"Hopefully these will be in place by next week," Honrado added. —KBK, GMA News