Palace: No tanim-bala

MANILA, Philippines — The recent incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was not a case of tanim-bala or bullet-planting because the passenger involved was allowed to leave, a Palace official said yesterday. 

Fears that the tanim-bala extortion scheme has been revived mounted after passenger Kristine Bumanglag-Moran claimed in a Facebook post that a 9mm bullet was planted in her luggage.

Moran, who was bound for Zamboanga City, said the bullet – wrapped in plastic – was detected when her luggage went through X-ray inspection at the NAIA Terminal 3 last Friday. President Duterte has asked airport authorities to look into the incident and to report to him the results of their investigation. 

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte has received the report submitted by airport authorities.

Roque said the passenger has a relative from the military and a brother who is a policeman. It appeared that Moran did not  own the luggage that contained the bullet, he added.  

“So we do not consider it a tanim bala incident because the flight was not disrupted. The bullet was just confiscated and the passenger was allowed to leave,” Roque said. 

Ed Monreal, general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority, which runs the NAIA, said it is their turn to ask Moran if she wants to apologize.

“We will not tolerate any individual discrediting our agency just like that. We are asking you to verify your claim before posting it on FB,” he said. - Rudy Santos