Leave ‘amulets’ at home, Davao travelers advised

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Amulet lovers, beware!

The Davao Aviation Security Command is asking amulet lovers and holders to declare their amulets or better still leave them in their homes to avoid delays at the airport.

“We are implementing tight security measures because of the incidents at the Manila airport,” Chief Inspector Eugene Baludo told Rappler.

“It will be good of they don’t bring them but if they really need to bring them, it will be helpful that they declare and show them to avoid inconvenience on their part,” he added.

Baludo was referring to the alleged laglag-bala or bullet planting scam targetting passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in the past weeks. 

The scheme supposedly involves airport personnel who plant bullets in the bags of unsuspecting passengers to extort money. 

With more than 1,000 reported cases from January to November this year, the laglag-bala scam has angered the public and has drawn international attention. (READ: How to curb ‘laglag-bala’ modus and airport extortion)

Protection from harm

Malacañang recently said it is looking into the possibility that airport passengers themselves are using bullets as “anting-antings” or amulets to shield them from harm.

Baludo said passengers may opt to bring their amulets with them on their trip provided they are not considered as deadly weapons, and passengers comply with the airport’s security protocol.

Currently, the Davao airport is equipped with 79 CCTV cameras, 49 of which were installed last August by the city government, while the other 39 recently installed were provided by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. 

One bullet-planting case was recorded in the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao, with a Manila-bound passenger found to have two live bullets in his baggage.

Baludo also said only few air passengers from Davao wrap their luggages. He attributed this to the confidence of airport passengers on Davao authorities.

Returning overseas Filipino worker Rodelo Lam, who hails from Davao del Sur, affirmed this.

“Hindi ko binalot sa plastic [ang luggage ko] kasi walang laglag-bala dito sa Davao, kasi sabi ni Duterte ipapakain daw niya ang bala sa mga naglagay ng bala,” he said.

(I didn’t wrap my luggage in plastic because we don’t plant bullets here in Davao. [Davao City Mayor Rodrigo] Duterte said he would ask those who do to eat the bullets.)

The Davao mayor had also declared he would lawyer for victims of the laglag-bala scam. – Rappler.com

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