NAIA searching for owner of $800 left at passenger screening area

A week after a security officer of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) found an envelope containing US$800 cash at the final passenger screening area, the money remains unclaimed by its owner.

The Intelligence and Investigation and Division (IID) property custodian Reynon Flores said the envelope of US$800 (approximately P36,000) remained in the safekeeping of the lost and found office, as of Monday.

Flores told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that while they saw the owner on the closed circuit TV (CCTV) footage, they could neither tell his nationality nor his flight destination.

In an IID report signed by Flores and released on Monday, Office of Transportation security intelligence agent aide Richie Canonizado found the envelope of cash at around 6:30 a.m. of July 6 at the NAIA Terminal 2 departure area’s northwing final security check.

Canonizado noticed the envelope in a plastic tray where passengers put their personal belongings for x-ray screening. She immediately turned over the envelope to her supervisor for surrender to the IID lost and found office.

The IID reviewed the CCTV footage on the area where the envelope was found.

The report stated: “It was noted in the footages that at about 0638H (6:38 am), an unidentified Asian looking male passenger, after passing through the northwing FSC (final security check), picked up a plastic tray with his personal belongings (belt, handcarry bag, coat) from the x-ray machine conveyor.”

Flores said that based on the video, it was possible that when the man collected his belongings from the tray, including a coat, the envelope of cash fell off from the coat pocket without him knowing.

“We have not been able to identify the owner yet because there were three departing international flights at the time. We cannot yet tell which flight he boarded,” the IID property custodian told the Inquirer, adding that at the time there were departing flights for Jakarta and Japan.

Nevertheless he said that the IID has been working on identifying the owner of the money for its return.

(With reports from Christine Rhea Lectura, trainee)