Philippines investigates possible revival of ‘planted bullet’ scam at airports

The Philippine government has launched an investigation into allegations that screeners at Manila’s main airport attempted to scam a traveller by falsely claiming she had a bullet in her luggage, reviving fears that the notorious tanim bala (planted bullet) racket is far from over.

The three guards at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) suspected of extorting 69-year-old passenger and local entrepreneur Ruth Adel on March 6 have been relieved of their posts, according to Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon.

“We are terminating them already today … we will not stand for any abuse,” Dizon said on Monday.

Also on Monday, presidential press officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr had ordered an investigation, describing it as a tanim bala case that risked reviving the infamous airport scam.

“This won’t look good if it happens again,” Castro warned.

Tanim bala refers to an alleged airport security scam in which X-ray screeners claim to have found bullets in passengers’ luggage and demand bribes to let them pass. At its peak in 2015, numerous travellers reported such incidents, fuelling suspicions that the guards themselves were planting the bullets.