DAVAO CITY – A partylist lawmaker criticized President Benigno Aquino III after defending the Ninoy Aquino International Airport officials over the extortion scam wherein bullets are planted on a passenger’s luggage.
The president on Monday said the issue on “laglag bala” has been “sensationalized”. He said only about 1,200 out of 34 million passengers every year have been apprehended for possession of ammunition at the NAIA.
But, Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Fernando Hicap, in a statement, said the officials “obviously failed to do its job in stopping the extortion racket case preying mostly Overseas Filipino Workers.”
“Pres. Aquino should not take the gravity of the issue by the numbers. A victim of tanim-bala is enough to compel the authority to quickly resolve the case. His latest statement defending the ranking NAIA officials from criminal and administrative liability is an obvious move to cover up its mess,” said Hicap.
“He absolved these officials from any wrongdoing while there is no closure in the case. He just adds to the growing frustrations not only to the tanim-bala victims and their families but worst making the issue more infamous in the international scene,” Hicap added.
He said they are calling on all OFWs and their families to “press for the accountability of ranking officials of NAIA and the Department of Transportation and Communication that is obviously incompetent and indirectly involved in the tanim- bala scam.” (davaotoday.com)
