Team DailyPedia
This being election season, a few other candidates had to put in their two cents’ worth on the matter. Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo seemed like she was not on the same page as her running mate Mar Roxas. Robredo filed House Bill No. 6245, or the “Iwas Tanim Bala Bill,” because she believes the scam “abridges our constitutionally guaranteed right to freely travel by preventing passengers from catching their flights and damages the reputation of the Philippines since several of the victims have been foreign tourists who were in the country for their vacation.”
Fellow vice presidential candidate Chiz Escudero also expressed concern over the damage the incidents could inflict upon the country’s tourism campaign.
“…who would want to come here if they can’t even get out of the airports without being victimized by unscrupulous and seemingly unstoppable syndicates? …The crooks behind this ‘tanim-bala’ are not just planting bullets, they are sowing a sense of insecurity among travelers that will be difficult to address later on.” Escudero explained.
Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, did not mince words as usual. Last November 1, Duterte said on his regular TV program Gikan sa Masa that he doesn’t “have the ambition to become president but if I’d be the president, I will let you swallow those bullets. I don’t care if you die. If it will clog your ass, I’ll have you operated on to enlarge your asshole.” (Statement is translated from Cebuano.)
Even celebrities weighed in on the issue. Comedienne Ethel Booba offered this unsolicited advice to the president through her Twitter account last November 4: “Pres. @noynoyaquino siguro po dapat na nating seryosohin ang TANIM BALA sa NAIA kasi sabi nga po nila “Ang Magtanim Ay Di Biro.” Charot!” [Pres. @noynoyaquino maybe it’s time for us to take tanim bala at the NAIA seriously because, as they say, planting rice is no joke. (This is in reference to the famous Tagalog folk song.)]
Paranaque City Congressman Roilo Golez, however, seemed to offer more sensible advice.
“When a passenger is caught with one or two bullets, just confiscate and let the passenger go. No questions, no delay. Don’t give the security personnel the power to decide,” the congressman said.
The past few days finally saw the government acting over the issue, dismissing personnel involved in the alleged scam. As celebrity tour guide Carlos Celdran puts it, “And heads are starting to roll regarding #LaglagBala.” He said while forwarding an article about it on his Facebook page.
As of November 9, seven members of the Aviation Security Group have been relieved, including Aviation Security Chief Senior Superintendent Ricardo Layug, Jr. However, the Aviation Security Group’s Head, Superintendent Pablo Francis Balagtas, clarified in an interview with Rappler that Layug and the others’ dismissal from office does not necessarily mean their involvement in the tanim bala affair, but rather, it is “part of a rotation” of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
