DOTr cracks down on NAIA security after 'tanim-bala' incident

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday announced that the agency has ordered the dismissal of three Office for Transportation Security (OTS) personnel allegedly involved in the recent ‘tanim bala’ incident at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

Followed by the harassment of a 69-year-old passenger, Dizon said that the agency will not tolerate the misconduct and will hold the involved personnel accountable.

“We are not fooling around here. If you think we are, you are mistaken. If you think we are doing this just for show, you are wrong. I have already instructed Gen. Bisnar to issue the order today,” he said. 

The controversy erupted after Ruth Adel, a senior citizen traveling to Vietnam on 6 March, accused NAIA security personnel of planting a bullet casing in her luggage. 

Adel and her family had already cleared security when officers chased them down, insisting she undergo another inspection. 

Dizon called the security officers’ actions unacceptable, reiterating that once a passenger is screened and cleared, they should not be harassed further.

“They had already passed screening, but they were chased down and stopped again. Mommy Ruth is elderly, she cannot run. Screening is done for a reason — you cannot chase someone down and harass them,” he said.

Dizon also called the attention of everyone in the transportation sector that further incidents like these will not be tolerated by the DOTr. 

“We want to send a message to everyone — everyone in the ports, the rail sector, the road sector, the LTO, the LTFRB — that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior,” he said.