Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista has directed the administrator of the Office of Transportation Security (OTS), Undersecretary Ma. O. Aplasca, to immediately file the necessary charges against security screening personnel involved in a theft incident at Ninoy Aquino International Airport last Sept. 8.

In a statement on Thursday, the DoTr said Bautista “expressed frustration and dismay” at the incident, which occurred amid his efforts to find potential foreign investors who may want to operate and maintain the country’s main gateway.

The Secretary further directed DoTr Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Procurement Reinier Paul Yebra to assist in filing the complaints against those determined to have connived in stealing money from the hand-carried bag of a Chinese passenger at the Terminal 1 departure area final screening checkpoint.

The OTS, after concluding its investigation, had recommended to Bautista the filing of legal and administrative action against the security screener officer (SSO) caught on CCTV apparently swallowing the stolen $300 dollar bills in a desperate attempt to hide the evidence.

“The Secretary has authorized imposing the maximum penalty to those found guilty to demonstrate the Department’s determined push to rid NAIA as well as other attached agencies of scalawags,” the DoTr statement said.

Meanwhile, Tourism Congress of the Philippines President Bob Zozobrado questioned the selection of employees to run security checks in the country’s premier airport, citing the incident as a black eye on the tourism industry.

“Anong klaseng standards ang ginagamit ng HR manager ng OTS in hiring these people?” he said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview. “This is not the first time. Maybe they just hire anybody they see on the street.”

Zozobrado urged the government, specifically the DoTr, to crack the whip on OTS personnel caught stealing from passengers and ensure that all SSOs have good moral character.