New Laglag Bala victims ELDERLY SAMAR COUPLE STOPPED FROM U.S. TRIP

by Ariel Fernandez

Manila Bulletin

A 75-year-old grandmother, who was headed to San Diego, California, with her husband, was stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 yesterday for allegedly concealing a .38-caliber bullet in her shoulder bag.

Salvacion Cortabista, a native of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, was prevented from leaving onboard a Korean Airline flight for the United States after the bullet was detected in the final x-ray inspection at the departure area.

She was being accompanied on her trip by her 78-year-old husband Esteban and they were supposed to visit a daughter who lives in San Diego. It was going to be their second visit to their daughter in four years.

According to Cortabista’s daughter Emy, they had inspected her mother’s bag thrice before they went to NAIA, turning it inside-out and shaking it to rid it of any unwanted materials.

“Hindi ko sukat akalain na mangyayari sa amin ito. Wala naman kaming ganyan…bala. Magsasaka lang kami, papaano kami magkakaroon ng bala (I never imagined this would happen to us. We don’t have that kind of thing, a bullet. We’re just farmers, so how could we have a bullet)?” lamented Esteban, who decided to forego their US visit altogether.

Salvacion was also aghast that what she only saw on TV news accounts could actually happen to her.

In the CCTV footage shown to media by the Office for Transportation Security (OTS), Salvacion was wheeled into the airport in a wheelchair, while her husband carried her shoulder bag.

It was also Esteban who put her bag into the first x-ray machine located at the NAIA 1 entrance. It was apparent that nothing irregular was detected as they were allowed to proceed to the check-in counters in the departure area.

The elderly couple was able to check in their baggage at the Korean Air counter before 12 noon and proceeded to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) counter.

It was after they were cleared at the BI counter that the next x-ray machine sounded off and detected the bullet in Salvacion’s shoulder bag.

A Philippine National Police (PNP) officer, who bore the name tag “Corpuz,” could barely muster any explanation as Emy confronted them about the bullet discovered in her mother’s bag.

(HERE WE GO AGAIN — A nurse takes the blood pressure reading of seventy-five-year old Salvacion Cortabista (left), who was stopped at the NAIA 1 yesterday for allegedly trying to spirit out a .38-caliber bullet in her hand-carry bag to the United States. At right is Cortabista’s 78-year-old husband Esteban who appears dazed at the ugly turn of events on what should have been the start of a visit to their daughter based in San Diego, California. Ariel Fernandez)