MANILA — Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal on Wednesday advised passengers to ensure their baggage are free from prohibited items before checking them in.
Earlier this week, a female passenger was questioned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 2, as authorities discovered a plastic bag full of caliber .38 empty bullet shells inside her baggage.
Based on MIAA’s records, an image of a large amount of ammunition was seen during the x-ray inspection of the female passenger’s baggage.
Bullets are one of the prohibited items in NAIA. The MIAA, however, allows the passengers to go on with their flights after surrendering the ammunition.
The passenger was from Honolulu and had a connecting flight to Laoag. Authorities did a manual search in her presence.
They found 416 pieces of empty bullet shells placed inside a transparent resealable plastic bag and was placed in a box.
The passenger claimed that the box belongs to her brother-in-law who requested her to bring it.
MIAA added that the passenger also claimed she was assured that the baggage only contained clothes.
“Tanim bala” (bullet planting) used to be a mode of extortion at NAIA, and this has been a major fear among travellers accessing the country’s major airport.
In a previous interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Monreal said “tanim bala” is a thing of the past.
“For me, the end of ‘tanim bala’ is one of the major accomplishments here in NAIA during the first few months of Duterte administration,” he said.
In 2016 after Monreal assumed his post, MIAA has issued a policy allowing passengers to take their flights after surrendering the ammunition found in their luggage. (Ma. Cristina Arayata/PNA)
