VIDEO BOOSTS CASE AGAINST ‘TANIM-BALA’
A video shown on national television Saturday night is seen to bolster the case of an American missionary who claimed to have been a victim of “tanim-bala” scam at the airport.
A video shown on national television Saturday night is seen to bolster the case of an American missionary who claimed to have been a victim of “tanim-bala” scam at the airport.
The video was taken by Eloisa Zoleta, stepmother of Lane Michael White, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sept. 17, the day they were supposed to leave for Coron, Palawan.
As shown on 24 Oras on GMA 7, an airport screening officer, identified as Marvin Garcia, picked up White’s luggage after passing through the X-ray machine.
Another personnel, identified as Maria Elma Cena, opened the zipper of the luggage as she and Garcia rummaged through the bag with their bare hands as if looking for a particular object.
After putting the contents of White’s luggage into the blue plastic trays, Garcia put the bag through the X-ray machine again. That was when Zoleta was summoned to show the bullet allegedly found in the 20-year-old American’s luggage.
The bullet – a .22 caliber – was found inside the outside pocket of the luggage.
Inside the Office of the Transport Security (OTS), White was coaxed into admitting that the bullet was his. When White denied the allegation, a police officer allegedly threatened him with detention. He was allegedly asked to pay ₱30,000 in exchange for the non-filing of charges. The American refused to pay up.
White was detained for six days before he was able to post a ₱40,000 bail for his temporary liberty.
Zoleta turned over the video to the Legal Advocates for Workers Interest (LAWIN) Law Office which is handling their case.
Ernesto Arellano, the lawyer handling the case, said they will use the video in their motion to dismiss the charge of illegal possession of ammunition filed against White on Nov. 11 at the Pasay trial court.
Arellano said they may call for a press conference after the hearing, adding that they are prepared to file a case against the airport security personnel.
However, the lawyer added, White’s family would like to go back to the United States after an extended stay in the country due to the controversy.
The lawyer said the American is a Theology graduate from Florida who was looking for a new site for a church as part of their missionary outreach in the country.
Arellano said White has not fired a gun in his life, “more so, possess bullets or guns.”
A dozen cases of “tanim bala” have since cropped up following White’s arrest, drawing public outcry here and abroad.
The latest to be detained was a Vietnamese woman who was caught with a bullet on her handbag at the NAIA Terminal 3 Saturday night.
In a report aired by GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali” yesterday, the Vietnamese was identified by the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-AvSeGroup) as My Nguyen, 30.
It was learned that the Vietnamese was just escorting a relative at the NAIA Terminal 3 when a bullet for a .357-caliber gun was detected by the X-ray scanner in her shoulder bag.
President Aquino has ordered the Department of Justice (DoJ) to conduct an investigation while lawmakers set their own probe on the matter.
The Office of Transportation Security (OTS), the agency that oversees luggage screeners at the airports, could not be reached for comment, as well as Garcia and Cena.