3 airport security personnel under probe for passenger's 'missing $300'

Three Office Transportation Security (OTS) personnel are under investigation in connection with the missing cash from a foreigner at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport  (NAIA).

According to the report of John Consulta on "24 Oras," the CCTV footage showing on the the OTS personnel putting something in her mouth and then taking a drink of water is at the center of the said investigation.

“Nagconduct ng usual baggage inspection, and then later on yun pong ating pasahero ay bumalik sa security screening checkpoint to raise his complaint nga po na nawawalan nga po daw siya ng pera,” said OTS Public Information Officer Kim Marquez.

According to the OTS, an inspection was immediately conducted of all personnel but officials failed to find the missing dollars. So, it remained a puzzle as to what happened to the missing cash.

The CCTV footage showed that a 28-year-old contractual employee of the OTS was seen swallowing an object. Officials are now investigating whether the item is the missing cash.

"Kung makikita po doon sa CCTV, isang beses lang po yung ano, one time lang po niya isinubo ang object," said Marquez.

"Base po sa CCTV, meron din pong personnel sa kanyang tabi. Tinitingnan natin kung iyan nga pong sinubo niya ay yung perang nawawala, na sinasabing nawawala nung pasahero," she also said.

Marquez said the footage where the employee was drinking water is the same area of the incident.

The footage also showed the same personnel covering her face with a handkerchief and holding a mineral water bottle. Another OTS personnel can be seen standing near her.

“Right now iniimbestigahan po natin yung subject personnel na involved, at yung supervisor niya, at meron pa pong isang personnel na involved dun sa incident po. So bale tatlo ang under investigation ng OTS,” Marquez said.

"Initially po, dinenay ng ating personnel na yun nga po kinuha niya po yung nawawalang pera from the Chinese national nga po na umalis sa NAIA Terminal 1," she added.

The three OTS personnel involved in the incident have been placed under preventive suspension while an investigation including identifying the object the OTS personnel put in her mouth.

“Sa aming policy po dun sa checkpoint, bawal po ang kumain sa area. So yun ang tinitingnan din natin. Isa po sa kailangan nating imbestigahan,” she added.

The OTS is coordinating with the PNP Avsegroup for the filing of criminal case and assist the complainant if he decides to pursue the case.

The investigation is expected to be concluded after a few weeks and recommendation of the OTS on the incident.

"Asahan po ninyo na magiging fair po ang investigation. At kung may makikita po tayong maling ginawa ang ating personnel, we will make sure na magkakaroon tayo ng appropriate action. [It] could be [an] administrative case with ultimate penalty of dismissal from service para po hindi na maka-ulit at makapasok sa iba pang ahensya ng gobyerno,” Marquez said. — Jiselle Casucian/BAP, GMA Integrated News