Stricter measures at the DIA to prevent tanim-bala

DAVAO CITY, Nov 4 (PIA) Aviation Security Group 11 urged passengers to inspect their luggage before travelling and before entry of the airport for inspection to prevent speculations related to the tanim-bala.

Senior Superintendent John De Leon Esteban, director of the AVSEGroup 11 said it is the primary lookout of passengers to ensure that there is no contraband in their luggage prior to their entry to the airport.

He said passengers must inspect baggage before entering the terminal.  

“Clean your bags first before entering the terminal to avoid the speculations,” Esteban said.

He said no identification card-no ticket-no entry policy is strictly implemented in the airport premises especially for all workers.

Esteban said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the Office for the Transportation Security also distribute fliers to the passengers to inform them of the contrabands that are banned entry in the airport.

“It includes firearms and ammunition and liquid materials,” he said.

Esteban said that the city government has placed new closed-circuit television cameras inside and outside the airport as surveillance equipment.

He said that even the CAAP has installed its own CCTV cameras.

Esteban also clarified that the OTS is not an agency under the Aviation Security Group.

He said the airport screeners are under a different agency.

“Once the OTS detects a contraband which is a violation of law, they immediately inform the PNP,” Esteban said.

He also clarified that on the recent case involving an engineer accused on possessing a bullet in his luggage, it was the person alone who was carrying the luggage for inspection through the X-ray machine until retrieval.

“The screener did not touch the luggage, until such time that the passenger’s attention was called that there was a ammunition in his luggage,” Esteban.

He said the person even admitted that he was the one who packed his luggage and even the one who opened the outer pocket of the bag where the bullet was found.

He said the accused was unsure if the bullet was placed here in Davao City.

“I can assure that there is no such practice in the Davao International Airport,” Esteban said.

He also disclosed that this year alone, it was the second incident that a bullet was discovered at the first inspection machine in the airport.

He said that the first incident was in May 12 when a foreigner brought with him two bullets of a nine millimeter pistol through the airport inspection machine, admitting that he was taking the bullets as souvenirs.    

 “The two accused are temporarily out on bail,” Esteban said.  (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)