MANILA: Three personnel from the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Office of Transport Security (OTS) have been dismissed following an alleged bullet-planting scheme at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on March 6, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said Monday (March 10).
Dizon said the terminations take effect on Monday, March 10, 2025.
“So we are hereby announcing the termination of all the people in the OTS who were involved in this incident - three personnel,” he said in a press conference.
But he did not disclose the identities of the dismissed personnel.
The case came about after 69-year-old Ruth Adel was accused by OTS personnel of carrying a bullet in her luggage, an incident that nearly caused her to miss her flight to Vietnam.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Adel said she and her family were already at the boarding gate when OTS personnel approached her, claiming they found an amulet in her bag.
When Adel asked what an amulet was, a security officer, “while laughing,” told her that an X-ray scanner had detected a bullet shell in her baggage.
According to Adel, she thought she was being “pranked” because the security officer made the allegation “very casually.”
She denied the claim and asked for an on-the-spot inspection of her luggage, but security personnel insisted she accompany them.
Adel and her family refused as their flight was already boarding.
The OTS personnel then called a supervisor, who later claimed the bullet shell was in her handbag, not in her luggage. They also showed her an X-ray image, supposedly proving their claim.
However, Adel said her bag did not have keys, unlike the one in the photo they were showing her.
Dizon condemned the incident, stressing that the agency will not tolerate any abuse of power from its personnel.
“We will not stand for any abuse. Any abuse will be met with the same result and the same swift action from us, as mandated and as ordered to us by the President himself,” he said.
He also addressed government employees, especially from the transportation sector: “I know losing a job is difficult, especially now. Life is hard. But I hope we are sending a message loud and clear to everyone in government—those in DOTr, airports, ports, railways, the road sector—that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior against our citizens.”
Dizon also apologised to Adel and her family for the incident and how the OTS personnel treated them.
“I profusely apologise for this incident. Again, to Ma’am Ruth (Adel), to Kai (her daughter), and to everyone who has experienced this kind of traumatic event at the airport…we sincerely apologise. We assure you that from now on, we will not allow this to happen again,” he said.
When asked whether an amulet was indeed found in Adel’s luggage, Dizon said the investigation is still ongoing.
“The appropriate investigations will be conducted, and the proper administrative charges will be filed after the investigations continue,” Dizon added.
Dizon likewise assured the public that stricter protocols would be implemented by the agency to prevent similar incidents in the future. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
