The Office of Transportation Security (OTS) on Monday said they suspended five of their personnel and were relieved from duty following a viral video that showed an alleged extortion incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) making rounds in social media.

It was reported that the video was posted by the victim, a Thailand national on February 22, to which several OTS personnel at the NAIA Terminal 2 were caught on video with their modus operandi.

It showed two OTS staff members insert something in their pockets after a security checkpoint.

Meanwhile, a second video shoed the departing Thai national requesting the Security Screening Officer (SSO) to return the ¥20,000 (₱8,000) taken from him.

The OTS personnel were also seen handing back the money to the passenger, while the SSO was heard pleading to “delete the video.”

According to the OTS, they had identified the screening officers involved: 4 of them were job order staff hired last year, while the other was a contractual employee who had been working for around 5 years.

“Nakakalungkot lang na our economy is opening up, while the president and the entire government machinery have been inviting tourists, investors to come to the Philippines, ito namang mga tauhan namin, sinisira naman ang ating reputation in the international community,” OTS Administrator Ma.O Aplasca said.

“We assure that the OTS management will really assure that in the OTS, we will really address the issue more aggressively and will find other strategies to solve the problem,” he added.

OTS also said its investigators were already preparing to file the appropriate administrative cases.

“They shall not only be dismissed from the service but shall also be put behind bars for their criminal acts that tarnish the reputation and integrity not only of OTS but the entire country in general,” Aplasca said.

Since last July, 14 OTS personnel have been dismissed while 3 others were suspended. Six cases remained under investigation by the OTS Legal Service.