MANILA, Philippines— The staff of The Department of Transportation – Office for Transportation Security (OTS) who have been caught in the act of stealing from tourist in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will be suspended, and criminal charges may be filed against them, according to the agency.
Last Wednesday, Thai citizen Piyawat Gunlayaprasit shared a video on social media that has since gone viral in which it looked like security officers stole cash from Kitja Thabthim’s wallet before it was x-rayed at the airport.
“I saw the Philippine officer doing it secretly and took a photo. It turns out that she put the money that she had stolen from a Thai brother to put it in the pocket of a short-haired officer.”
Piyawat Gunlayaprasit
When they complained about the missing money, he said the officer told them to contact the central office since there weren’t any CCTV cameras in the area.
In another video, the said staff was then seen returning the money to the tourist, which OTS estimated to be 20,000 yen, or around 8,000 pesos, and appealing to Gunlayaprasit to delete the video.
OTS stated that administrative charges are being prepared against the employees, while criminal proceedings against them are also being considered. They also reported that five of their personnel were suspended.
“We will seek the cooperation of the victimized foreign nationals to expedite the filing of an airtight case. These illegal acts will not be tolerated, and we will apply the full force of the law to penalize the perpetrators. They shall not only be dismissed from the service but shall also be put behind bars for their criminal acts,” it said.