The controversial but popular mayor of Davao City, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte asks the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III to relieve personnel of Ninoy Aquino International Airport because they are “inutile” in the extortive “laglag bala” modus of some airport operatives. He noted that the president should immediately relieve airport police and civil aviation officials.
Mayor Duterte’s statement came out after major international media outfits like Time Magazine and BBC have covered the alleged bullet-planting incidents that included a 65-year-old grandmother who was kept flying to see his grandson play football in Singapore.
In an interview with Sunstar Davao, Mayor Duterte was quoted as saying “What kind of government is this? Mr. President, you have crossed a red line. (The incidents) have given us a bad name and have placed the Filipino people in jeopardy…I demand that you relieve airport police and CAAP personnel.”
“I have not asked anything from you, not public works projects. This time, I am asking you to do something drastic,” he said.
“I cannot express my anger, I can only commiserate with the victims,” Duterte said, noting that the incidents are not isolated as there have been a number already reported in the media.
According to Mayor Duterte the incidents of “laglag-bala” are not a simple case of extortion because these can cost Filipinos their freedom if the bullets were found in their luggage at their destination where they will surely end up in jail and the results can be “very tragic” according to Mayor Duterte.
