For bullet carriers’ cases, PNP puts ballistics test teams right at Naia

The Philippine National Police has assigned ballistics experts at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) to speed up the investigation of people caught carrying bullets in their luggage, an issue that recently drew national attention in the wake of the “tanim-bala” (bullet-planting) controversy.

Senior Supt. Alfonso Samala, head of the PNP Aviation Security Group (Avsegroup) for the National Capital Region, said teams from Camp Crame—each composed of a noncommissioned officer who conducts the test and a superior who certifies the ballistics process—had been stationed at the Avsegroup headquarters in Naia Terminal 1 since Monday.

The teams are tasked with determining if a bullet seized from a passenger may still be considered usable or “demilitarized” (can no longer be fired). The results will form part of the report submitted to the prosecutor’s office where the apprehended passenger faces a complaint for illegal possession of ammunition.

“It usually takes one to two days before you get the results because [the officers] still have go to the Crime Lab extension office on Mayapis Street, Makati City, for the test. And that takes time because of the traffic,” Samala said.

With the ballistics tests now conducted at Naia, the results can be out within two hours and the investigation can go much faster, he said.

The PNP’s move was the latest measure taken by authorities to address recurring cases of airline passengers found carrying bullets—some of whom have made news for the past few weeks after complaining that the rounds were just “planted” in their bags at the airport as part of an extortion scheme.

Still, there were other passengers who admitted carrying bullets as souvenirs or “talismans” to ward off bad luck as they travel.

In the wake of the tanim-bala controversy, the Public Attorneys Office had come to the defense of such passengers, most of whom were eventually cleared in the city prosecutor’s office after it was established that they harbored no criminal intent.

Last week, Naia officials even installed so-called “last-look booths” where passengers can check their bags and rid them of prohibited items—including bullets—before undergoing security checks. Kristine Felisse Mangunay