OTS Men face Probe over alleged Drug Smuggling in NAIA

By: Raoul Esperas, ABS CBN

MANILA – Several Office of Transportation Security (OTS) personnel are being investigated by the Manila International Airport Authority after a huge amount of cocaine was smuggled out of the country through the country's premier airport.

A high-ranking airport official told ABS-CBN News that airport officials were alarmed by the series of drug smuggling incidents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

These include the arrest of four Filipinas who were caught with 2.5 kilograms of cocaine in their luggage after arriving in Hong Kong.

READ: 4 Pinays slip out of NAIA with kilos of cocaine

Over the weekend, Thai Customs officials arrested two Thai nationals, identified as Siriwan Yodteerak and Aaew Wijit, after 2.6 kilograms of high-grade cocaine were found in a secret compartment in their luggage.

A report by the Bangkok Post said Siriwan left Manila through an AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur and boarded another plane at the Malaysian capital for a flight to Krabi, a southern province in Thailand. She arrived in Thailand on Sunday.
The report added that Siriwan's luggage which contained the cocaine was brought to Thailand on another flight. Siriwan was arrested when she came to claim her luggage, while Aaew was arrested at a hotel in Krabi.

Siriwan claimed she was paid 60,000 baht (P78,935) by Aaew's African boyfriend to smuggle the cocaine from the Philippines to Thailand. She said she had been offered several times by the African to become a drug mule but she declined all the offers.

TANIM-BALA

The reports of illegal drugs slipping out of the airport come as the OTS, an agency under the Department of Transportation and Communications, is under fire due to the series of alleged ''tanim-bala'' (bullet planting) incidents.
"How come OTS security screeners can detect a single bullet hidden in the luggage of OFW and other passengers but they mysteriously fail to detect the kilos of drugs inside hand-carried luggage of suspected drug mules?" asked the airport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

READ: How victims are spotted in 'tanim-bala' modus

EXCL: 4 layer ng extortion ng 'tanim-bala'

The MIAA is now reviewing the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage at the airport to observe the movements of the 2 Thai nationals while they were at the NAIA Terminal 3.

During a Senate hearing this month, OTS administrator Roland Recomono explained that their x-ray machines at the NAIA cannot detect cocaine. He said the cocaine will only register as an "organic substance."

The screeners' expertise, on the other hand, is only limited to the prohibited items based on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), he said.

Senator Alan Cayetano, however, said the OTS can actually add items to ICAO's list, based onExecutive Order No. 311.

Bullet scam victims cleared

No intention to violate law, Abaya tells Senate

by Mario Casayuran, Manila Bulletin
November 13, 2015

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Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph A. Abaya yesterday conceded that persons, mostly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), arrested for alleged possession of bullets in what is now dubbed the “tanim-bala” (bullet-planting) scam at the airports “are not guilty and had no intent to violate the law.”

In an effort to address the tanim-bala incidents, Abaya called on the senators to carve out from the proposed 2016 Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) outlay a budget for the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) for the purchase of security equipment, particularly closed-circuit TV (CCTV).

image: http://www.mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Ricochet1.jpg

It was bared that airport personnel had demanded that White should fork out over P30,000 to settle his case, but he declined.

White’s family were on their way to Coron, Palawan, for their missionary work when he was allegedly victimized by airport screeners.

Another victim, Gloria Ortinez, 56, of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, had to spend two nights in a detention cell before she was released by the Pasay City Prosecutors Office after Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida V. Rued-Acosta cited a Supreme Court decision that the charges must be dropped because there is no intent to possess and that the bullets are not intended to be used.

Four others accused of the same tanim-bala raps were released, she added.

Acosta stressed that the tanim-bala operation must be stopped but “the devil’s advocates” are there at the airport.

LACK OF COMPASSION

Sen. Grace Poe said what the national government lacks is compassion and common sense and that coordination and leadership must be shown by MIAA general manager Jose Angel Honrado, who was given a 70 percent passing grade by Abaya.

Poe also questioned why the National Civil Aviation Security Council, the single authority for transportation system in the country, has not yet been convened by Abaya despite the bullet scam.

Abaya vowed to convene the council to address the tanim-bala.

The passing grade drew an angry reaction from Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano.

Honrado claimed during the hearing that he has no control over aviation personnel who man the x-ray machines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Susan “Toots” Ople, OFW advocate, bewailed the failure or neglect of airport officials to tap the services of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to help the tanim-bala victims as these agencies have desks at the airport.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto said these alleged extortion activities damage NAIA’s reputation, giving an impression that the facility is gradually becoming a major extortion hub of the country.

“Extortion schemes and other forms of misconduct undermine the efforts made by the Philippine government in curbing corruption and in maximizing the Philippines’ potential for business and tourism.

ORTINEZ FLYING TO HK

As this developed, Ortinez will fly to Hong Kong tomorrow in attempts to regain her employment as a household service worker (HSW) following the dismissal of  her illegal possession of ammunition case over the “tannin-bala.

Ople said she will be accompanying Ortinez to convince her employer to rehire the 56-year-old OFW.

“We are headed to HK this Saturday so that she (Ortinez) can personally talk to her employer,” Ople said.

Ortinez will also be accompanied by Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco Lagunzad III to help with her cause.

“The POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) already sent a letter to Gloria’s employer, but this Saturday Usec Lagunzad will be accompanying Glo to HK to directly talk to her employer,” OWWA Administrator Rebecca Calzado said.

Abaya assured Ortinez that he would write a letter or call her Hongkong employer to take her back after the charges lodged against her had been dismissed.

“I will craft a letter. I will call her employer …whatever Nanay Gloria asks me to do. No reservation,” Abaya told senators during the hearing.

Ortinez was detained by authorities at the NAIA last month after a bullet was allegedly found in her luggage.

She, however, denied the ammo belonged to her, claiming she was a victim of the tanim-bala scam.

The ordeal prevented her from immediately returning to her employer making her worry she might be replaced.

MEDIA BAN HIT

With the public outcry over the tanim-bala issue, airport authorities ban mediamen fromm certain areas.

The move prompted Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero to assail airport authorities.

Escudero said NAIA officials should give members of duly registered media entities access to areas where they can exercise their duties without intervening in security personnel’s work.

The senator made the call following reports that journalists covering Manila’s international airports are now prohibited from going to certain areas of NAIA Terminal 3.

NAIA reporters complained that the restriction on their access came only in the wake of reports on the alleged extortion scheme that has victimized overseas Filipino workers, tourists and travellers on business.

“At a time like this when we are all trying to find the truth behind this deplorable ‘tanim-bala’ modus operandi, we need the media to be free to do its work of gathering information, examining our systems, and uncovering the wrongs that may be hidden from sight,” Escudero said.

Besides, NAIA personnel and officials of the MIAA should not feel threatened by the presence of prying eyes if they have nothing to hide, the senator stressed.

“Lagi naman nating sinasabi na ang walang tinatago, hindi natatakot masilip, (We’ve always believed that those who got nothing to hide are not afraid to be scrutinized),”  Escudero said.

“We enjoy a democracy that upholds and protects the people’s right to know. Curtailing the media’s freedom to do the important work of exposing the truth cannot be justified, especially in this particular case,” Escudero said.

CHARGES MULLED

Meanwhile, DUMPER Partylist, formerly known as the DUMPER Philippine Taxi Driver Association, is planning to sue tanim-bala accuser Julius Niel Habana for wrongfully incriminating taxi driver Ricky Milagrosa.

Milagrosa was driving Vigil taxi with license plate UVK 190 on the eve of October 29, 2015, when he was accused by Habana of planting a bullet in his friend’s luggage.

Habana posted about the incident on his Facebook page, saying, “Muntik ng madali ang kasamahan kung seaman papuntang NAIA, buti napansin niya (na may) nilagay ang driver sa bag (niya) nag (text) sakin kung anong gawin niya,nag advise ako na wag ng tumuloy sa airport dumaan nalng sa boardng house ko. (My friend and fellow seaman almost got into trouble on the way to NAIA. Good thing he noticed that the driver placed something on his bag, he texted me asking for help, and I advised him not to go to the airport and instead come to my boarding house).”

However, when the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) conducted a hearing regarding this matter, only Milagrosa and his operator attended to state their case. Habana, on the other hand, refused to answer any of the board’s attempts to contact him. (With reports from Hannah L. Torregoza, Czarina Nicole O. Ong, and Samuel P. Medenilla)

Cayetano to Authorities: Quell the people's fear and keep airports safe!

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday called on the government to get its act together and ensure the general safety of the people amid the growing public fear due to incidents of the “Tanim-Bala” modus at the country’s airports.

“People are afraid. Everyone who goes to our airports is bulletproofing their bags. They feel that if they are victimized, a case will be filed against them before someone listens to them. Takot na takot ang mamamayan dahil ang gobyerno ay hindi maramdaman,” Cayetano said.

                             

During yesterday’s Senate inquiry regarding the bullet-planting scandal, the senator questioned Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya’s earlier statement that they have already started their investigation on the matter, after “Tanim-Bala” victims invited at the hearing confirmed that none of the concerned agencies, DOTC included, made an effort to get their side of the story.

“An investigation means that you are looking at who is right or wrong, that you are listening to both sides. Pero ang kanang kamay ninyo, nag-file na ng kaso, sinasabing guilty sila. Ang kaliwa ninyong kamay, hindi naman sila tinatanong kung anong nangyari,” Cayetano told Abaya.

He also expressed his disbelief on how bullets allegedly carried by passengers can be intercepted by airport personnel, while kilos of drugs are smuggled unnoticed.

“What kind of x-ray machines do our airports have that are so picky that it can detect a bullet allegedly carried by OFW Gloria Ortinez but fail to detect 2.5 kilos of cocaine?” Cayetano asked.

Single department to protect OFWs from abuse

The senator said that the government should have a swift and effective response to the scam in order to quell the public’s fear and secure the country’s airports.

Meanwhile, in Cayetano’s Senate Resolution No. 1662 filed on Wednesday, he expressed the need for the government to establish a single department that will manage, harmonize, and strengthen existing policies and programs that will protect the rights of Filipino migrant workers.

He also called on the Office for Transport Security to conduct an immediate investigation and file a report within 15 days, with the end view of rendering justice to the victims and punishing all those responsible of the scam.

“What we need are simple, swift and effective measures to address this issue. Hindi pupwede ang pateka-teka. ‘Pag mabilis ang aksyon ng gobyerno, mawawala ang takot ng tao,” Cayetano concluded.#

Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano on "Tanim-Bala"-issue

Office of the Senate Majority Leader

Alan Peter S. Cayetano

Rm. 603 GSIS Complex Senate of the Philippines Roxas Blvd Pasay City

         

PRESS RELEASE

05 November 2015

 

 

 

Cayetano on "Tanim-Bala" issue: “They’re people, not statistics” 

 

 

“Tao ang pinag-uusapan natin, hindi numero, hindi statistics. Napaka-offensive na iko-compare mo kung ilan ang biktima sa population ng (NAIA passengers). Ang numero, walang buhay ‘yan, walang anak, walang pamilya, walang trabaho, walang pangangailangan. Pero ang tao, meron. And government is supposed to protect the weakest of the weak,” Senate Majority Leader Alan Cayetano said, stressing that DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya owes the public an apology for his recent statements on the "Tanim-Bala" issue.

 

"Sa 0.004% na apektado, dapat 101% parin ang tugon ng gobyerno," Cayetano insisted as he slammed cabinet officials who seemed to undermine the occurrence of the modus at the country’s international airports.

 

"Panay ang salag, panay ang dipensa, as if sila ang ina-accuse na gumawa nito. Pero ang ina-accuse sa [kanila] ay ang pagiging napaka-defensive, to the point na wala [silang] ginagawa to prevent and to correct [the alleged scheme],” the senator added.

 

In a press conference on Wednesday, Abaya addressed allegations of extortion by airport personnel, stressing that the cases have been “blown out of proportion” as the number of passengers who were caught with ammunition merely comprised 0.004 percent of the total number of passengers who pass through NAIA terminals.

 

Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras confirmed that the Palace is looking into the possibility that “Tanim-Bala” reports could merely be part of a demolition job against the administration, especially since elections are coming up and the situation is an ideal political issue.

 

But Cayetano criticized the officials’ take on the issue as well as the government’s overall “gross inaction” on cases reported by victims of the scheme. He decried the repeated denials early on by government agencies that extortion activities were happening at the airports.

 

“Ang binibilang lang nila, ang nahulihan ng bala. [What about the] chilling effect [experienced by all passengers]… OFW man o turista… napa-paranoid na mataniman sila ng bala. So how can [they] say na 0.004 lang ang percentage ng apektado?” he noted.

 

The senator cited the case of Gloria Ortinez, an OFW from Hong Kong who was arrested after airport officials allegedly found a rifle bullet in her bag. Ortinez was later on released due to questionable evidence, but lamented at how her employment abroad was crucially affected as she is forced to stay in the country pending her case.

 

“Kahit isa lang ‘yan out of 100 million Filipinos, ang ine-expect natin sa gobyerno, maging proactive. [Matapang na solusyon at mabilis na aksyon ang kailangan, hindi panibagong palusot],” Cayetano concluded. ###