Thursday, June 28, 2007 Bomb joke costs P10T in bail, and counting
THE airline passenger who joked that he has a bomb inside his bag was released from detention after posting P10,000 as bail before a Lapu-Lapu City court, revealed Supt. Elias Abad Jr., chief of the Philippine Center for Aviation Security (PCAS) 7.
Judge Ester Veloso of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) ordered the release of Marcelo Galang, a businessman from Quezon City.
The hearing on his case will be at 8:30 a.m. on July 18.
Galang was charged with violation of Presidential Decree 1727 by the management of Cebu Pacific, which suffered losses because of what he did.
Aside from the airline’s losses, the passengers bound for Iloilo City also suffered “mental anguish” because of the delayed flight.
PCAS 7 assisted Cebu Pacific in filing the case against Galang, the first “bomb joker” to be charged in a Cebu court.
If found guilty, Galang will face five years’ imprisonment or be fined P40,000, or suffer both penalties.
Court records showed that Galang was represented by his counsel, lawyer Ricardo Amores.
Abad said the incident must serve as a lesson to others that joking about bombs is a crime.
Security
Strict implementation of security measures was done first on international flights, and later on domestic flights after the Davao City bombing several years ago.
Security measures are also extended to freight forwarders and flight handlers, who are required to inspect and sanitize their cargoes.
Most freight forwarders are members of and accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which also sets its own rules on cargo transport security.
“(Freight forwarders) are even required by IATA to install their own X-ray machines to monitor cargoes and ensure that these are not mixed with contraband,” Abad said. (EOB)
