A lawmaker has asked the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) to allow passengers purportedly caught with a stray bullet or ammunition to proceed with their flight as long as they do not pose any serious security threat.

Agimat Party-list Rep. Bryan Revilla on Tuesday, July 8, urged OTS to implement a "confiscate-and-go" policy for such passengers amid new reports of "tanim bala' incidents at Philippine airports.

In such incidents, passengers are allegedly caught with stray bullets that have either been planted with them or not.

"Hindi na natin dapat hayaang maulit pa ang kahihiyan na dulot nito noon sa ating pamahalaan. Kailangang maagap ang aksyon para maprotektahan ang mga inosenteng pasahero (We cannot let this cause another embarrassment to our government. We need to carry out urgent action to protect our innocent passengers)," Revilla said.

Revilla reckoned that in cases where a small amount of ammunition is found during routine inspection, OTS officers should simply confiscate the item and allow the passenger to proceed—as long as the following conditions are met:

"This confiscate-and-go approach removes the opportunity for abuse while preserving the integrity of airport security. It’s a simple reform that can prevent unnecessary arrests, delays, and extortion," he said.

But he clarified that such policy would not apply to those found with larger quantities of ammunition or other items suggesting intent to cause harm, smuggle weapons, or violate the law.

Revilla called on the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and OTS to take the issue seriously and act swiftly to prevent another wave of tanim bala cases from undermining public trust in the country’s airports.

"Security should never be used as a tool for extortion. By adopting this common-sense policy, we can protect travelers—especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)—and close the door on abuse," he said.