DOTr chief sacks 3 transport personnel over 鈥榯anim-bala鈥� incident
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has dismissed three transport security personnel following an alleged ‘tanim bala’ (bullet planting) incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 6 as he apologized to the woman and her family who denied having a bullet in her handbag. PHOTO from the Department of Transportation
MANILA, Philippines — Three personnel from the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) Office of Transport Security (OTS) have been dismissed following an alleged “tanim-bala” (bullet-planting) incident at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on March 6, DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said Monday.
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.
READ: Passenger claims being victimized by ‘tanim-bala’
Passenger’s account
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 “anting-anting” (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, Abel said her bag did not have keys, unlike that in the photo they were showing her.
Government response
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: “Alam ko mahirap mawalan ng trabaho, lalo na ngayon. Napakahirap ng buhay. Pero sana po, we are sending a message loud and clear to everyone in government, and everyone in the DOTr, everyone in the airport, everyone in the port, everyone in the railways, everyone in the road sector, LTO (Land Transportation Office), LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board), everyone, that we will not tolerate this sort of behavior against our citizens.”
(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, LTO, LTFRB—that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior against our citizens.)
Dizon also apologized to Adel and her family for the incident and how OTS personnel treated them.
“I profusely apologize to Ma’am Ruth [Adel], to Kai [her daughter], kami po ay nag-aapologize… Kami po ang nagsasabi na from now on, hindi na namin ito papayagan na mangyari,” he said.
(We sincerely apologize to Ma’am Ruth, to Kai… From now on, we will not allow this to happen again.)
READ:
When asked whether an amulet was indeed found in Adel’s luggage, Dizon said the investigation is still ongoing.
“Ongoing po ang investigation, wag na po nating pangunahan,” the DOTr chief said.
(The investigation is ongoing, let’s not get ahead of it.)
“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.
