i thought it was white noise that would go away fast — something the aquino admin would quickly resolve the most painless and graceful way possible, seeing as the APEC summit looms, and the idea is to put our best foot forward, kunwari walang traffic in the air and on land, walang vagrants and beggars, everything’s perfect, lalo na (dapat) sa notorious NAIA.
so i don’t get it. that it’s gotten to the point when travelers are wrapping up their bags and suitcases in plastic, what a hassle, and what a spectacle! yet the palace does not mind? the palace does not see it as too embarrassing, too mortifying, for words — this only-in-the-philippines moment, LOL — and can’t see a way to simply decriminalize possession of a bullet or two? or confiscate it but let the traveller go? after all, really, what’s a bullet without a gun? am i missiing something here?
otherwise, it would seem to be a show of due process kuno to spare who-knows-who. or, wait, is this in aid of distracting from the lumad who are now in liwasang bonifacio and whose presence in manila and the rightness of whose cause the palace has yet to acknowledge? someone please say it isn’t so.
The Administration is doing what it by law is required to do, not panic and do knee jerk reactions and start firing people as Binay and Poe and Duterte want. The whole thing is built to a frenzy by emotionalism and politics, and the Admin is doing what it does best . . . that which is right amidst the out-of-control frenzy of everyone wanting it done THEIR way. They are gathering information, suspending staff at the checkpoints, and working diligently in places other than the news headlines . . . which are assigned to the loudest most shrill people.
Leni Robredo has introduced a law that decriminalizes up to 3 bullets. Mr. Aquino can’t erase established laws because people think he ought to.
2014, 34 million passengers passed through NAIA. About 1,500 were caught with amulets or live ammunition. Prosecutions under the law were about 100. The incidence of prosecutions in 2015 is down from that, about 50 so far this year.
It is the age of the terrorist. It seems to me the main complaint ought to be levied at Filipinos who allow superstition to overwhelm sense (amulets) and against people for being human (forgetting about the bullet in their pocket). This frenzy is just hype, over-reaction, and it hurts more innocent people than is necessary.
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joeam, while statistics of violations and apprehension are insignificant to the volume of 34million travellers being handled by our airport authorities, still what is revolting is that the victims of extortions are hapless OFWs who are trumpeted as modern heroes of our economy and airport authorities are passing the buck and blank minded as to how did this started to happen with no solution.
“Dodging bullets” by Ana Marie Pamintuan http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2015/11/04/1518200/dodging-bullets
She writes: “But the majority of the cases, if you study the details, tend to bolster complaints of those apprehended that they were framed for a shakedown by certain NAIA personnel.”
It would be helpful if she showed us the details that led to that conclusion. It is a crucial conclusion. I personally don’t buy it. I do buy her later observation that the Philippines a “deeply entrenched gun culture” . . . not to mention superstitious and carrying along a lot of amulets. Those cultural qualities are what produces the 1,500 violations of law, and 50 to 100 prosecutions.
The rest is hysteria, as far as I can tell, stirred up by tabloid media and political showboats (like Cayetano).
“THE GREAT BULLET SCAM” (AKA LAGLAG BALA) IS NOW OFFICIALLY THE WORLD’S CURRENT WTF NEWS STORY
https://jimayson.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/the-great-bullet-scam-aka-laglag-bala-is-now-officially-the-worlds-current-wtf-news-story/
Wow! It’s even more exasperating when a meddling foreigner like that Joe America is cheering the administration because to him the administration is doing such a damn good job. What’s with this foreigner? He commends and cheers the President even for the most stupid things: the Luneta hostage fiasco, the Yolanda rescue failure, the MRT/LRT scandal, the whole traffic mess, the Mamasapano massacre, this laglag-bala thing and God knows what else. For all we know, maybe PNoy feels no sense of urgency to act at all because of this meddling foreigner. He could be saying, I must be doing very well indeed because there is this American blogger who is always praising me. Laglag bala? Joe America says I am doing the right thing, so what’s the problem?
on facebook the theory is that he’s a paid palace troll, if not the once noted blogger himself. i’m tending to give the once noted one the benefit of the doubt, for old (bloggging) times sake ;-)
He outed his name once. His first name is Ronald. I forgot his surname but I can look again.
The thing is these days, he openly brags about having inside info from sources in Malacañang. He sometimes insinuates having the blessing and protection of the President. He is campaigning for Roxas and the LP and is flagrantly attacking the opponents. Is this still within the bounds?
well, the president mentioned him pa in his last SONA remember? the american who’s got his back, or something like that. he’s been insufferable since.
kiss kiss, bitter fellow
No, Ronald, I am not bitter. I am only bothered of foreigners like you representing partisan interests actively seeking to influence the political affairs of my country.
hear, hear!