Poe wants MIAA, OTS reports on alleged theft at airport

Senator Grace Poe on Monday asked the Manila International Airport Authority and the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) to file reports on the alleged theft committed by security screening officers (SSOs) on a Thai tourist at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, condemned the incident which she described as “enraging, shameful and unacceptable”.

“Parang ambilis no? Importante talaga na may high resolution CCTV siguro yung airport kasi yung sinasabi nila na sleight of hand, alam mo 'yun? 'Yung mabilis na parang di mo mahahalata. Turista na nga eh. Gusto natin na maraming pumunta na turista dito,” said Poe on Mav Gonzales’ report on “24 Oras”.

(It was fast, right? It is really important to have high-resolution CCTV in airports because of the so-called sleight of hand. It was very fast so you may not even notice it. And it happened to a tourist. We want foreigners to come here.)

Videos of the incident where SSOs allegedly took  ¥20,000 or around P8,000 from the foreign national went viral on social media last week.

In the first video taken at a security checkpoint, the SSOs allegedly inserted something inside their pockets.

The second video showed a foreigner asking the SSO to return his money. After the female officer returned the money, the SSO allegedly asked the person taking the video to delete the recording.

The OTS said it had placed the involved airport personnel under preventive suspension and investigators are already preparing criminal and administrative charges against them.

It likewise condemned the incident and said illegal acts will not be tolerated.

“We will apply the full force of the law to penalize the perpetrators…Our government has been trying to invite tourists…these corrupt OTS personnel are undermining and negating the gains of our efforts,” the agency added.

Poe also said the CCTV footage on the incident should be reviewed, adding this is not the first time such an incident occurred. She also said it may be the right time to take a look at the wages of the SSOs.

“Walang excuse sa paggawa ng bagay na illegal. Pero ang totoo non 'pag sobrang gipit ka mas lalo kang mae-engganyong gumawa ng mga ganitong kalokohan,” she said.

(There’s no excuse for crimes. But in reality, desperation will force you to commit illegal acts.)—Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News