Roundup: "Plant-a-bullet" scam in Philippines' main airport scare foreign visitors

Barely two weeks before the opening of the summit meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Manila, the "tanim-bala," or plant-a-bullet, scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has threatened to disrupt the flow of foreign visitors into the country.

Manila will host the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) on Nov. 18-19. The summit meeting was scheduled to be attended by heads of state of the grouping's 21 member economies.

Some members of the advance teams of the foreign delegations have already arrived in Manila but more are coming during the next few days.

No less than the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) had warned its staff against the racket that has rocked the government of President Benigno Aquino III in the last few days.

In an internal memo, the UNDSS advised its staff to lock their bags and even wrap their pieces of luggage in plastic if passing through the NAIA.

The UNDSS, which "ensures security for (UN) staff and eligible dependents," issued the advisory amid reports of bullets being planted in bags of travelers as part of an extortion racket in the Philippines' main airport.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said that scheme, reportedly perpetrated by corrupt airport security personnel, will have a "chilling effect" on foreign tourists.

However, Tourism Undersecretary Maria Jasmin was quoted in the media as saying that the incidents of bullet planting have not yet affected the country's tourist arrivals.

In the latest incident, Santiago Cabrera Penaflorida, 77, who was with his daughter, was checking in his baggage at the NAIA-2 for his flight to Los Angeles when a bullet was discovered in his backpack while passing through the airport X-ray unit.

Penaflorida and his daughter denied ownership of the bullet. They said their baggage went through X-ray at the Iloilo airport in Central Philippines and were cleared of any contraband.

From Iloilo, the Penafloridas disembarked at NAIA-2 domestic arrival area and went directly to the international departure area for check-in.

Despite their protests, Penafloridas were held by airport security staff for questioning.

Last September, an American missionary was detained for illegal possession of ammunition at NAIA after a bullet was found in his luggage. Last week a Japanese national was also arrested in the airport when two bullets were found from his bag. Both passengers denied bringing the bullets.

In most cases, according to some victims, airport authorities extorted money from them so that cases will not be filed against them and they can be released. In the Philippines, it is illegal to carry even empty bullet shells.

Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero has expressed concern that the "plant-a-bullet" scandal could erode the government's "More Fun in the Philippines" campaign if security officials fail to put a stop to the modus operandi.

Escudero, a vice presidential candidate, said the scheme could reverse the government's gains in tourism and make a complete mockery of its popular tourism campaign.

Data from the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP Avsegroup) said the number of travelers apprehended with bullets in their luggage this year was the highest in four years.

They recorded a total of 105 cases from January to November this year. There were 12 incidents in 2014; 21 in 2013 and 20 in 2012.

As the scandal gained international notoriety, Justice Secretary Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa ordered on Tuesday the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to form a seven-man special task force to conduct "a thorough, in-depth, and comprehensive investigation and case build-up" on the scam.

Despite the announced probe, there have been calls for President Aquino Benigno S. Aquino III to fire Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Angel Honrado, Transportation Secretary Emilio Abaya and other airport officials.

The two houses of Philippine Congress have also scheduled congressional hearings on the incidents that have blackened the image of the country abroad. Enditem