DOTr: OTS screener guilty of stealing $300

MANILA, Philippines — A screener of the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) has been found liable for stealing $300 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), according to the Department of Transportation.

The female sceener was recorded on closed-circuit television footage swallowing the dollar bills reportedly stolen from a departing Chinese tourist at the NAIA on Sept. 8.

“Investigation showed that the employee swallowed the cash. She claims in her affidavit that she was eating chocolate, but probers found her guilty,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista told reporters after a Senate hearing on Sept. 26.

The OTS screener and her three accomplices are facing administrative and criminal complaints, Bautista said.

Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services, said the OTS needs to be overhauled following the resignation of administrator Ma. O Aplasca.

Speaker Martin Romualdez had called for Aplasca’s resignation amid the reported cases of theft at the country’s main gateway.

“A resignation at the top does not clean up the OTS ranks. More than ever, the agency needs a steady leadership to implement much-needed reforms,” Poe said.

As of July 2023, more than half of the OTS manpower are contractual personnel, with only 475 with permanent status.

Poe said the permanent solution to stop illegal activities involving OTS personnel is security of tenure and salary increase.

“The OTS must improve its system at the point of hiring, review its recruitment policies and enforce ethics training. Employees must undergo extensive background checks,” Poe noted.

“In the long-term, we should also look at providing better compensation and benefits to these employees so they would not resort to stealing,” she added. -  Cecille Suerte Felipe