‘Laglag Bala Gang’ strikes again in NAIA

ANOTHER American national was victimized by a “laglag bala gang” at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport [NAIA] terminal.

This time it was an American missionary who was locked up for five and half days after he allegedly refused to give P30,000 to two security personnel from the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) assigned at the NAIA terminal 4.

The amount was supposed to be used to clear the victim of an illegal possession of ammunition charge for an allegedly planted caliber .22 bullet in his luggage.

The alleged victim Lane Michael White, 20, a missionary from Florida, U.S.A was ordered released from jail by Judge Pedro Gutierrez of Pasay City Regional Trial Court branch 119 after the court acted on Lane’s motion and reduced his bail from P80,000 to P40,000.

White identified the OTS personnel who allegedly victimized him as a Maria Elma Cena, 46, married, and a Marvin Garcia, 23, single, both members of the OTS Transportation Security Risk Management Bureau and assigned as baggage inspectors at the NAIA (domestic) Terminal 4 departure area’s initial screening checkpoint.

The American missionary was only able to get out of jail on September 22 after Gutierrez allowed him to post bail.

White with his father, an American pastor, and his Filipina stepmother arrived in Manila on Sept. 16 from the US with a connecting flight to Coron, Palawan to scout for a piece of land where they can build a church for their congregation.

The victim said they were already about to board the Palawan-bound plane when the airline ground crew announced that the flight was cancelled because the airport in Palawan has no night landing capability equipment.

The Whites were billeted in a hotel in Ermita, Manila by Cebu Pacific.

On September 17, the victim and his parents arrived at the NAIA terminal 4 at 10:30 a.m., to catch their Cebu Pacific flight 5J-529 bound for Coron, Palawan.

White said their luggage passed through the x-ray scanner at the initial baggage screening checkpoint manned by the suspects.

The American missionary said he was shocked when the OTS personnel ordered him to “stay back” and to stay away from his black Samsonite suitcase before repeatedly making his luggage go through the x-ray machine.

After a third time, White claimed that he saw one of the baggage inspectors put a hand inside a pocket of his suitcase before again putting it into the x-ray scanner.

This time the baggage was stopped while being screened and he was told that he had a bullet in his bag. One of the two OTS personnel allegedly told him, “there is a bullet in your suitcase, you have to give us P30,000 for us to let you go, or we will put you in jail.”

He denied owning the bullet, telling the OTS personnel, “that bullet is not mine. How that bullet got into my suitcase you only have the answer.”

White claimed that the OTS personnel forced him to admit owning the bullet. He was subsequently taken in for questioning for the bullet by SP02 Rolando Clarin of the Aviation Security Group, [AVSEGROUP].

At the Avsegroup-National Capital Region (NCR) office, White was arrested, detained and charged with violation of RA 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

Two OTS personnel were earlier relieved pending an investigation after a wheelchair-bound female passenger accused them of planting a bullet and extorting P500 from her.

The Filipino-American passenger’s narration of her alleged experience at the NAIA on a Facebook post went viral, getting over 60,000 shares.

According to OTS spokesperson Jonathan Maliwat, the complaint has come to the agency’s attention and that the x-ray operator and the body frisker have been relieved pending the result of the investigation.

In her Facebook post, the California-based passenger said that she was at the NAIA terminal 2 around 6:30 p.m. of September 18, bound for Los Angeles, when the three pieces of luggage she carried went through the x-ray scanner.

After her baggage went through the x-ray, her attention was called by an airport employee who whispered that she might have a “charm” hidden in her bag.

She wrote in Filipino, “I told them that the bag might not even be mine because the passengers’ luggage being screened were all piled up. They again put my baggage through the scanner and a NAIA lady staff member told me that I was carrying something ‘odd’ in my baggage.”

The passenger claimed that she noticed a NAIA male employee placing his hand inside the pocket of her luggage while his back was turned to her. “When he faced me, he already had two bullets in his hand,” she said.

The NAIA employees, who were apparently with the OTS, asked for her passport and greencard and said that the discovery of the bullets will be put on record and will affect her future travels.

“I reiterated that those bullets were not mine and that I have no idea where they came from,” she said but the OTS security personnel ignored her.

A porter who was pushing her wheelchair whispered to her that she could just pay P500 so she could be cleared for travel.

On the porter’s suggestion, the passenger said that she again spoke with the female OTS security screener and asked for help to which the latter allegedly replied, “Ok. Just give it to me discreetly. The supervisor might catch me.” The OTS employee was apparently referring to the money.

She claimed that she secretly handed P500 when she was frisked a second time by the OTS security officer who asked for the money. The passenger also gave P200 to the porter who told her about the “procedure.”

The Filipino-American passenger was then given back her passport and greencard and was allowed to board her flight to the Los Angeles Airport.

Maliwat encouraged other passengers who might have had similar encounters to come forward and file a formal complaint against erring security personnel.