Philippine airports lift slipper rules

The Philippine Office of Transportation Safety (OTS) said Tuesday it has suspended mandatory shoe removal at all airports nationwide.

The OTS said in a statement that from October 13, passengers will only be required to take off their shoes during security checks or when the alarm is triggered "in the event of enhanced security conditions.

The OTS implemented the compulsory shoe removal measure on July 10 "to detect and block any prohibited items that may be hidden in shoes and used to perform illegal interference."

On August 10, it intercepted a bullet and a packet of suspected drugs from the shoe of a Chinese passenger, according to OTS.

On the same day, another incident was also reported at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, where another passenger was arrested for finding suspected marijuana inside a shoe.