PAL probes extort try on OFW

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Airlines (PAL) is investigating an incident involving a check-in agent accused of attempting to extort money from an overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said yesterday that the airline would take appropriate action in line with due process.

“For now, the concerned check-in agent has been placed on preventive suspension, and we are working with Macro Asia (the agent’s employer and our service provider at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 or NAIA-2) to enforce PAL’s strict policies against any form of fraud or irregularities, and to prevent any recurrence,” she said.

The OFW, who identified herself on Facebook as Rinkashifu Miyakakishi P. Reyes, said in a post that her “unforgettable extortion experience” happened at NAIA-2 on May 4.

She alleged that an airline staff tried to extort P11,000 from her, purportedly for her overweight baggage.

Reyes said the airline staff also told her that her flight had been suspended and she had been transferred to a later flight, which she found strange since neither her employment agency nor the airline notified her of the changes.

Reyes said she told the airline staff she could only pay P5,000. The airline staff then handed her her boarding pass together with a piece of tissue on which a bank account number was written.

“I told myself this is another modus and just smiled at her and said OK,” Reyes said in her post.

The OFW said she avoided paying the airline staff when the boarding gates opened and the airline staff, who had followed her to the boarding gate, was forced to allow her to board her flight.

Reyes said the airline staff had asked her if she had transferred money to the bank account. The staff claimed her supervisor would reprimand her if that was not done.