A female security screening officer (SSO) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 was caught on CCTV stuffing U.S. $300 (around PHP17,000) worth of cash into her mouth.
She allegedly stole the bills from a departing Chinese passenger.
According to the official report issued by the Airport Police Department (APD) to Manila Bulletin:
"The CCTV footage clearly shows that the SSO, with intent to gain, took the USD300...during her inspection process and was clearly in the possession of the stolen money as she deliberately swallowed the paper bills to avoid getting caught,"
It can be recalled that in March, following several incidents of passenger theft, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) issued a “no pocket policy” for security personnel's uniform.
The incident, which occurred on September 8, 2023 at around 8:20 p.m., clearly violated this policy.
Also read: NAIA Security Personnel Are Now Banned From Wearing Jackets, Uniform with Pockets
Bypassing "no pocket policy" at NAIA
Based on the CCTV footage, a Chinese passenger called Cai was seen placing his shoulder bag on the inspection tray.
As he passed through the Advanced Imaging Technology Machine (AITM), the screening officer rummaged through his shoulder bag on the table as part of her “manual search.”
APD's official report noted that she “suspiciously turned away while apparently holding something in her left hand with her fist tightly-closed...She then swiftly placed something on her left torso/waist area, and went back to the inspection table."
The complaint was brought to authorities when Cai noticed his wallet was open, and the dollar bills inside were missing.
He confronted the screening officer, who, in her moment of panic, turned her back to stuff the bills in her mouth.
Everything was captured by CCTV.
The offical report also noted that the screening officer was “clearly seen deliberately swallowing the dollar bills, folded into one small piece” while using a handkerchief to cover her mouth.
Her supervisor might be on it too, as she was seen approaching the screening officer to “apparently ensure that the bills are dispatched to preclude any evidence.”
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Office for Transportation Security REACTS
Cai chose not to file a formal complaint before leaving for his flight, but the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) launched an investigation.
OTS Undersecretary Ma. O Aplasca said in a statement, “Noong ma-report yung unang insidente ng nakawan sa security screening checkpoint, hindi tayo nagdalawang-isip tanggalin sa ating hanay, at sampahan ng kaso yung mga anay na sumisira sa imahe ng gobyerno.
"Iniutos rin natin yung removal ng jackets at ng bulsa ng kanilang uniform, as a preventive measure para maiwasan yung nakawan.
"Pero it seems na mayroon pang iilan na natitirang hindi gumagawa nang maganda."
Also read: NAIA, ENHYPEN, and "Unprofessional Behavior": A Short History
This article was created by Spot.ph. Edits have been made by the PEP.ph editors.