Social media is so powerful that any story, any news that interests the public or even just tweaks the imagination into the unbelievably real depths of corruption – can become quite an uncontrollable storm.
It’s just been almost two weeks since the first incident was published in the local newspapers as well as later on broadcasted and spread on local radio, television and the smaller group of social media feeds. At first glance, the story didn’t look much. It’s just an isolated incident of the usual story of how government employees, the expectedly notoriously ruthless customs department, planted a bullet inside the baggage of an OFW. Now dubbed as the “laglag bala or tanim bala modus.”
Maybe the story would have just become part of the daily grind, the usual story that might not even get the attention of the already jaded Filipino of how corruption pervades almost every iota of the said government agency.
The thing that triggered this worldwide interest and almost unstoppable craving is when it happened over and over again – the same act, no matter how crazy-stupid it sounds – were done repeatedly. And not only that, it was indiscriminately affecting any unlucky passenger who wasn’t aware of the setup.
It now reached Japanese television, portraying how desperately pathetic the whole criminal act was. Humor was at its best to poke fun and poke painfully into the darkly flamboyant nature of how the whole setup and how real the parody was. What’s hugely amusing was the desperation of a seemingly ingenious way customs officers believes they can get away with; which in reality, we all know so well to be true. That there’s no remorse but seemingly a right they have to do this scam to squeeze out some money.
Watch the video below:
How to Protect Your Baggage
One way to protect one’s baggage and items is to completely cover them in plastic wrap. Layer upon layer of plastic spins around each bag to at least offer some sort of cocoon that would prevent that planted bullet from being born. Hopefully, we’ll all know better. And hopefully, social media would be enough of a punch to stop this scam from happening again.
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