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There’s probably a network of corrupt government employees behind the scam.
“The Senate is currently investigating the alleged “tanim-bala” or bullet-planting scam inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The scam involves the alleged planting of bullets inside passengers’ bags, which would then be discovered by airport screeners. Victims of the scam are then told to pay a bribe or face criminal charges for violating the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition and risk imprisonment,” reports ABS-CBNnews.com.
In her sworn testimony before the Philippine Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thu, Nov 12, Eloisa Zoleta — the Filipino stepmother of 21-year-old American laglag-bala victim Lane Michael White — once again recalled what happened at NAIA Terminal 4 last Sep 17.
Zoleta, along with her husband, Ryan White and stepson Lane Michael, were going to Palawan as missionaries. The family was originally booked for a flight on Sep 16. However, due to flight restrictions, the airline had to rebook the flight the next day while having the passengers stay at a hotel.
On the morning of Sep 17, the family again went to NAIA Terminal 4 to take the same flight. It was during the x-ray screening that airport screeners Maria Elma Cena and Marvin Garcia said they saw something in White’s bag.
The report noted: “Zoleta said White’s bag went through the x-ray a total of 7 times. She said she offered to help but Cena told them to stand back. Zoleta said Cena had already checked the outer flap of White’s bag the first couple of times but found nothing.”
The report pointed out that “a video taken by Zoleta of the screening also showed that Cena put her hand inside the outer flap of White’s bag.” It was only then that a bullet was found inside the outer flap of the bag.
The airport screeners then accused White of bringing a live bullet to the airport. The family was told that Lane Michael would be put in jail.
The screeners then presumably called the members of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-Avsegroup). Zoleta said that was when “a certain SPO2 Rolando Clarin also threatened to fine Zoleta after discovering that she had taken a video.”
Clarin also allegedly told Zoleta: “E ayaw pa aminin ng anak mo e. Bakit di mo na lang paamin sa anak mo (Your son doesn’t want to own up to it. Why don’t you make him own up to it)?”
When Lane Michael said that the bullet really wasn’t his, that was when Clarin asked for PHP30,000 “to make the case go away.”
Zoleta added that “a certain PNP officer Junio also reiterated the request for PHP30,000 pesos so that no charge will be filed.” She claimed “Junio told her the price would go up to PHP80,000 if the case reached headquarters.”
Zoleta, as indicated by the report, “pointed out that her husband is a preacher and had no income while her stepson had just resigned his job.”
Zoleta said “the last person to pressure her was a certain PNP officer Navarro at the investigation desk at NAIA Terminal 1.”
She said Navarro told her: “Foreigner ang anak mo. Dito sa Pilipinas, kawawa ang buhay nyan. Maru-ruin ang buhay niyan. Kung ako sa iyo, tulungan mo na (Your son is a foreigner. In the Philippines, he’ll have a hard time. His life will be ruined. If I were you, I’d help him).”
But since the family refused to pay a bribe, Lane Michael was fingerprinted by the police ahead of the filing of the complaint for carrying live ammunition.
Then, before they boarded the police van for the inquest, Cena told Zoleta that they should have admitted to owning the bullet so they would be let go. He even suggested that she should have told them that she was pregnant right away so they would be set free. “Sana, mam, inamin niyo na lang kasi buntis kayo. Tutal may humanitarian law naman (Ma’am, you should have said you were pregnant. There’s humanitarian law anyway),” Zoleta recalled Cena as saying.
But Zoleta refused to use her pregnancy as an excuse.
More revelations are expected from the Senate inquiry on the laglag bala scam.
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