Not just one bullet

A recent open letter in this paper clicked a couple of thoughts: One, was a recognition of the writer whose parents are one’s friends but rarely met now. Two, the subject of one missing bullet also clicked on FPJ’s movie on tv rerun entitled “Isang Bala Ka Lang”.

One bullet or anything intriguing and timely played up, draws attention. It perks up the ears simply for the curiosity beyond its value. To students of literature, it’s like Guy de Maupassant’s “A Piece of String” wherein a nondescript string is enough to destroy a person.

 As backgrounder… Lt. Colonel Philip S. Lapinid of the Philippine Army, was a passenger of Cebu Pacific flight from Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to NAIA last October 7. Per regulations, he turned over his sidearm and its ammo for flight security and safe-keeping to a female cop on duty at the MCIA. The gun, three 15-round magazines, and one bullet for the chamber were accounted for, the handling fee paid, and the claim stub issued. Upon arrival at NAIA when Lapinid claimed his gun and ammo, the 46th bullet was missing.

 Hence, the latter wrote that open letter, especially since it wasn’t the first time he had lost his gun’s ammo in transit a Cebu Pacific flight. “At the very least, the PNP at the MCIA and Cebu Pacific should conduct their respective investigation on the matter to encourage professionalism among their personnel”, he urged.

 Retired Gen. Danilo Augusto Francia, MCIA general manager, wrote an open letter published also in TF. The gist of his reply is that records at the MCIA and NAIA show no loss of the 46th bullet.

 Answering the MCIA GM, Lapinid suggested to Francia “to verify the journal at NAIA 3 for October 7”, thereby he would know that the police officer on duty at NAIA 3 who opened the security package of the subject gun and ammo, did so in Lapinid’s presence, a security guard, and Lapinid’s companion named Pvt. Gary Morales. And that police officer can attest that only 45 bullets were accounted for, but the 46th bullet for the chamber was missing. Lt. Col. Lapinid capped his case, thus: “The bottom line is that I surrendered 46 rounds at MCIA and claimed only 45 at NAIA 3. I am willing to execute an affidavit to this effect. Again, this is not the first time that I lost ammunition while traveling from Cebu to Manila on Cebu Pacific”.

There we are… This is not just a question of one bullet to be simply flicked off with a dismissing hand as just a damn bullet. Lapinid decries: “The issue at hand is not simply about the loss of that simple round. My point is the responsibility and accountability of people charged with handling (or in this case mishandling) of security packages. If they cannot be trusted with smaller things, how can they possibly be trusted with the bigger things?”

 This writer hasn’t met Lt. Col. Lapinid even once, but knows his mother well as once his bright student in high school who graduated salutatorian; and finished college at the top of her class and later taught English, both high school and college. She also much later headed an important national government agency. Philip’s father is a practicing lawyer whose mental acumen and dignified personality ought to have graced the Bench.

Anyway, Philip’s parents both possess ideal values for children to emulate. No wonder, under the facts how one bullet got lost, and also in previous flights, to the childhood-honed Philip in the virtue of honesty, and further disciplined in the PMA’s strict regimen of duty, honor, and country, the issue isn’t simply the loss of one round of ammo. The issue is “responsibility and accountability”. And Francia who is presumably a PMA alumnus himself knows this. And he understands why a PMA colleague is dismayed over a repeated breach of honesty and duty that the airline personnel must be accountable to their patrons.

As people honor and pay tribute to all the revered saints and the souls of the dead today and tomorrow, let the living also honor the moral and ethical values of yore, like honesty and decency.

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