Senators have expressed dismay over the alleged theft incident involving a female security screening officer of the Office Transportation Security (OTS) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services found the incident both "infuriating" and "embarrassing".
"Parang hindi nauubusan ng gimik ang mga kawatan sa airport (It looks like thieves in the airport are not running out of gimmicks)," Poe said in a statement on Thursday, Sept. 21.
She mentioned that the CCTV footage may not have captured the entirety of the incident and there are reports stating that the security officer involved was instructed to ingest folded bills amounting to $300, indicating that there may have been others involved.
"Umaasa tayo na matutunton agad ng awtoridad ang mga sangkot dito sa kanilang imbestigasyon (We are hoping that the authorities will be able to apprehend those involved in their investigation"," she said.
"Those who violate the law must be punished at once," she added.
Poe also asked the airport security office to properly vet applicants and reinterview existing employees to determine their qualifications and evaluate their performance.
She also stated that airport leadership should immediately investigate, file cases and fire employees found involved in criminal activities.
Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva even used the country's new tourism slogan in relation to the incident.
"How to “Love the Philippines” kung ganito po tayo (if we are like this)?" he said.
He said what happened was saddening and embarrassing, stating that this is not the first incident of theft in the airport and it seems that some are not afraid to commit crime, being able to think of new means to get away with it.
"Paano natin kukumbinsihin ang mga turista na mahalin ang Pilipinas kung sa paglapag pa lang nila sa ating airport ay nanganganib na ang kanilang seguridad? (How can we convince tourists to love the Philippines if as soon as they land in our airpots their security is at stake?)" he asked.
Villanueva said that for a change, tourists should at least get a happy experience and not a "horror story".
"Nananawagan po tayo sa Department of Transportation (DOTr) ng agarang imbestigasyon, at kung mapatunayang nagkasala, agad sibakin sa pwesto at sampahan ng karampatang kaso ang OTS personnel (We are calling on the DOTr for an immediate investigation, and if proven at fault, be removed at once from their post and file charges against the OTS personnel)," he said.
According to Villanueva, it must also be determined if others are involved in the crime to crack down on the "mafia of perpetrators" in the airport.
In relation to this, there should also be retraining and assessment of airport personnel, and also be more circumspect in accepting applicants to ensure that the government is not "paying for thieves".
Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs said that the OTS and DOTr should get to the bottom of this newly-discovered modus operandi at NAIA.
"Malala na ito kung totoong kinakain ang pera (This is getting out of hand if it's real that money was swallowed) just to avoid getting caught," Dela Rosa said.
"We are hurting our own reputation before the international arena if this crime is not being addressed immediately," he added.