Philippine NAIA airport security check left behind the original work to go to the Chinese passenger security line to carry out "inspection"

The head of the Philippine Office of Transportation Security (OTS) Apraska (Ma. O Aplasca) said that four security staff are currently under investigation and they are suspected of being involved in the "paper money swallowing" incident at the airport.

Aprasca said: "There were 14 security officers on duty at the airport at the time, but we have now found that four people may have been involved, including the woman who was caught swallowing the banknotes on CCTV and the supervisor who came to care."

The four are now on preventive suspension.

Airport authorities are currently reviewing "a large number of videos" that show from different angles how Chinese passengers lost 300 dollars, and the process of "swallowing" the banknotes in an attempt to destroy evidence.

According to airport regulations, all passengers' luggage must pass an X-ray before entering the departure lounge. If the scan is not clear, manual inspection is required.

However, airport officials said: "The security check in question did not follow the normal process this time, but went directly to a manual check. This is very unusual. In addition, the female security check in question ran from another check line to the check line to which the Chinese passenger belonged, as if the X-ray inspector had given her an advance signal to commit the crime."

He added: "The Chinese tourist's luggage seems to have been targeted by the criminal gang. Because the security check already had another bag to check, but he left his post and ran to other inspection lines to check another bag."

In addition, authorities have found a pattern that appears to "prevent" passengers from filing formal complaints.

Aprasca said: "They didn't intend to help the lost travellers because they were saying, 'Sir, would you wait? You could get lost or miss your flight. 'That's the kind of rhetoric that victimized travellers usually hear, which makes them not want to continue to complain."

The officer assured the public that his office was also investigating other cases or complaints they had received.

He added: "These are all different gangs, but we see a general pattern that their stealing styles are almost the same. But there are not many people involved."