Image copyrightReutersA scam in the Philippines, which allegedly sees bullets dropped into the luggage of passengers as they go through airport security, has sparked anger, fear and social media activism.
Called ‘”tanim bala” (which means planting bullets) it has meant passengers have been faced with fines or even the possibility of being charged with the illegal possession of ammunition.
Image copyrightGetty ImagesAfter several passengers were detained, others taken to court for refusing to pay fines and an outcry by legislators in the Philippines, it has spurred Filipinos to action.
They have been posting to social media defiant notices stuck to their luggage, wrapping suitcases in layers of plastic sheeting and speaking out about the dangers of this scam.
Officials at the Manila International Airport also set up a public help desk.
‘This bag is bullet-proof’
Image copyrightEPAOn Facebook and Instagram users uploaded pictures of the signs stuck to their bags.
Cautious travellers, like Raymond Britanico, uploaded photos to warn off potential bullet planters. Other users like Filipino actor Ronnie Liang, showed off plastic cling-wrapped luggage bags using the hashtags, #TanimBala and #LagLagBala(which means “dropping off bullets”).
Image copyrightAFPIt even spawned a highly-popular mobile app game, in which users play as a “victim” at the airport who has to navigate carefully to avoid bullets from being dropped onto his luggage.
Image copyrightGoogle StoreFormer Miss Philippines: ‘Plant trees not bullets’
Celebrities such as former Miss Philippines Earth Alma Cabasal also took a strong stand. She shared a photograph of a warning she wrote: “Plant trees, not bullets – I refuse to be a Tanim Bala victim.”
Image copyrightTwitter: Alma Cabasal
Image copyrightInstagram: Alma CabasalMs Cabasal told the BBC that she took measures to protect her luggage before she flew back to California.
“I paid close attention to my belongings the whole time I was at the airport in Manila,” she said.
“This scam is a very unfortunate and embarrassing one. It’s damaging our reputation as a country because people around the world know Filipinos for being hospitable and courteous…”
Security ahead of a global summit
People have highlighted the risks ahead of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit, which will held in the capital Manila on 18 November.
Image copyrightReuters“This scam is just are giving foreign governments more reason to not trust Filipino officials – especially before the Apec summit,” said Philippine Twitter user Marcial Bonifacio.
Another Twitter user Ella from Taguig city commented: “The “tanim bala” problem must be fixed as soon as possible – what if a delegate were to suddenly discover a bullet?”
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered an investigation into the scam. Local media report that victims told a court their accounts.
UN officials, meanwhile, advised staff to lock up their bags and protect their belongings.
Another Instagram user Cindy Jubilee, from Manila, told the BBC that she wanted to highlight the actions of “incompetent airport officials” so those responsible could be held accountable.
It is unclear exactly why this is happening, but the government has been quoted in local media as saying it was looking into the phenomenon as an extortion racket.
A folk tradition
It is hard to imagine how empty bullets being planted in luggage came about. But according to Filipino BBC presenter Rico Hizon, the origins of bullets could date back to a Philippine folk tradition from the late 19th Century.
Image copyrightInstagram“There is a Filipino superstition that carrying a bullet is like a lucky charm to protect the owner from misfortune, physical danger or harm,” he said.
“So the bullet is like a protective amulet, it’s usually blessed with spells or prayers that will safeguard the owner from witchcraft.”
In this case, it is not being seen as a blessing or protection by either passengers or the authorities.
[“source-bbc”]
