Filipina caught with bullet on Macau-bound flight

An overseas Filipino worker was discovered to be carrying a bullet in her bag while aboard a Macau-bound flight on January 2.
Inspector Jose Riegozumell Gaspar and Chief Inspector Renato Engcot of the PNP- Aviation Security Unit told the Philippines media  that a passenger – identified as 34-year-old Gina Maliwat of Poblacion Sur, Talavera, Nueva Ecija – was carrying a caliber .45 bullet in her cabin bag on Philippine Airlines flight PR352.
The case occurred at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 at around 10:15 a.m. Maliwat was intercepted by the operator of a baggage scanner, which picked up the image of a suspected piece of ammunition in her bag. Further searches allegedly led to the discovery of the projectile inside the side pocket of her shoulder bag.
According to Manila media People’s Tonight, Maliwat was released by the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office after almost 12 hours of investigation by the Philippines authorities. The conclusions of the investigations are unclear.
The incident comes after a sequence of widely reported cases known as the “tanim-bala” scam, in which airport staff and security allegedly planted bullets in passengers’ bags in order to extort money.
The controversy elicited a response from President Aquino in November 2015, who said he “doubted an organized ‘tanim-bala’ extortion scheme existed.”  RM