The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the release of the 12 victims of the alleged tanim-bala (bullet-planting) scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), citing lack of probable cause.
The DOJ ruling means that the 12 are now free without the need
for them to post bail. While their cases may be up for reinvestigation, the
cases are as good as closed according to the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO)
chief Persida Rueda-Acosta.
The DOJ ruling speaks volumes in
affirmation of public perception that there’s a syndicate or at least conniving
NAIA personnel planting bullets on the baggage and bags of passengers for the
purpose of extorting money from them.
One reported victim of
tanim-bala, the American missionary Lane Michael White, is going to the extent
of filing counter-charges against his accusers in the Office of the Transport
Security (OTS) and the PNP Aviation Security Group.
According to White’s lawyers,
White can prove that he was only charged with possession of ammunition when he
refused to cough up P30,000 in bribe money.
I would not be surprised if White
has an audio recording of the actual extort try because he has a video showing
how the OTS screeners rummaged through his baggage with their bare hands before
allegedly finding the .22 bullet.
Aside from the DOJ ruling, the head of the PNP Avse Group at the
NAIA has also been relieved along with a number of OTS personnel.
These are steps in the right
direction, but what’s really needed is for the National Bureau of Investigation
(NBI) to unmask those behind this scam so they can be charged in court.
Image by www.starmometer.com
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