Dr. Mina Gracia Capiral of the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay City was in a hurry to board a PAL plane for Ho Chi Minh City at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 2 recently.

When she passed the final inspection gate, Capiral was told to remove her very expensive wristwatch and put it on a tray that would pass through the X-ray machine.

Because she was in a hurry, she forgot to collect her wristwatch from the tray, and proceeded on her way to the predeparture area.

However, after five minutes, she remembered that she had left her wristwatch and went back for it at the final inspection gate. The personnel at the gate said they didn’t have the wristwatch.

The passenger who followed after her, a Korean woman, was thoroughly inspected and frisked in front of other passengers by the X-ray personnel to see if she had Capiral’s wristwatch.

The Korean, who was embarrassed in front of many people regarding an incident not of her own making, didn’t have the wristwatch.

So, who got the wristwatch?

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I don’t know who has Capiral’s wristwatch, but I can guess: The people at the final X-ray machine.

I’ve received reports of foreign passengers in a hurry to board their plane they forgot to collect their valuables from the tray at the X-ray gate.

The people at the gate didn’t run after the forgetful passengers to return their valuables. I was told that the left valuables were not turned over to the “lost and found” section of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

The X-ray people apparently expected that foreign passengers would no longer go back for their left valuables as they were already on the plane.

The personnel at the X-ray machine, who are members of the Philippine National Police, apparently mistook Capiral as a citizen of another Asian country.

Naia general manager Al Cusi should investigate theft incidents at the final inspection gates at Naia Terminals 1 and 2.

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Ernesto Manila, 56, a businessman, was allegedly drunk while he was driving his Mitsubishi Pajero (plate WPW 471) in San Mateo, Rizal, on Aug. 8. He plowed through a group of six people waiting for their ride home at 10 p.m.

Instead of alighting to help his victims, Manila reportedly backed his car up and ran over his victims, who were already down on the pavement, for the second time.

Two of his victims were killed and the rest were critically injured.

Manila is now detained at San Mateo police station, but he’s allegedly made to sleep in the chief’s office instead of inside the jail.

If true, the San Mateo police should be investigated for giving VIP treatment to a suspect.