A HUMAN resources manager was arrested at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in Lapu-Lapu City after four bullets were found inside her hand-carry baggage during security screening, authorities said.
The female passenger, 47, was bound for Tacloban City, Leyte, when she was stopped at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, 2025, after security detected the bullets during X-ray screening, according to the Office for Transportation Security (OTS).
The story, first reported by GMA Regional News TV, worried some netizens that the “tanim-bala” or bullet-planting scheme, an extortion racket primarily reported at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila in 2015, has hit MCIA.
Three OTS employees were dismissed from service last March following their alleged involvement in a “tanim-bala” incident at the NAIA Terminal 3. The termination came after a 69-year-old passenger accused NAIA security personnel of planting a bullet in her luggage as she was about to board her flight to Vietnam last March 6. The complaint went viral on social media, prompting swift action from the Department of Transportation.
Assurance
However, MCIA Assistant General Manager Glenn Napuli assured the public that the airport remains secure and free from such schemes, saying the facility is equipped with extensive closed-circuit television coverage.
“Rest assured, our airport is safe. There are no ‘tanim bala’ or ‘laglag bala’ incidents here,” Napuli told SunStar Cebu via Zoom on Tuesday, April 1. “Our entrances, exits, and public areas are all fully covered. It is highly unlikely that such a situation would occur.”
MCIA was recently named Best Airport in the Asia-Pacific Region by the Airports Council International.
Jomer Nietes, MCIA terminal operations manager and former OTS head, said MCIA has no blind spots and follows strict procedures, including obtaining passenger consent and police coordination when inspecting bags.
From January to March 2025, authorities intercepted 20 passengers at the airport for carrying ammunition or amulets. Of these, 18 had valid documentation for firearm ownership.
The arrested passenger did not have any such documentation, authorities said.
Before arrest
Before the arrest happened, the X-ray operator spotted the ammunition, prompting standard procedures, OTS 7 Chief Lizel Mondejar told SunStar Cebu in a Zoom interview.
OTS personnel, along with the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-Avsegroup), opened the bag with the passenger’s consent and recovered four bullets inside a pouch.
PNP-Avsegroup Chief Ricky Calong said the passenger, a human resources manager from Lapu-Lapu City, claimed that the pouch belonged to her company and was typically used to store petty cash. She added that she had the “last touch” on the bag due to shift transitions at work and was unaware it contained bullets.
The woman was charged with violating Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and the Commission on Elections gun ban under Resolution 11067. Authorities filed the charges before the Lapu-Lapu City Hall of Justice. She was set to post bail on Tuesday.
Napuli reminded the public that bringing ammunition into the airport is strictly prohibited.
He said passengers are reminded through large posters and signs at security checkpoints and stressed it is their responsibility to inspect their bags.
“If someone brings bullets, what should the airport do? Intercept,” Napuli said. / DPC