The Department of Justice(DOJ) dismissed the "Tanim-bala complaint" of an American plane passenger. The decision of the officials, appointed by the Aquino administration, concluded the case of Lane Michael White.

The decision of DOJ was quite alarming to the extent that the chief officer of the Public Attorney's Office was disappointed to the judicial system of the country. To the dismay of Atty. Persida Acosta, she aired her sentiments in an interview conducted by a field reporter of ABS-CBN news. The lawyer explained the unfair decision of the court citing that the agency is quick in blaming plane passengers when these people were caught with bullets in their luggage. Hence, the court appears too bias to the victims.

Why was the case absolved by DOJ?

Contents of the decision and the reason why the complaint was junked by DOJ had been revealed in a local report. The court purportedly did not find any probable cause and involvement of the Office of Transportation Security(OTS) personnel regarding the alleged "Tanim-Bala" modus last September 17, 2015. Moreover, DOJ said that there was no valid evidence that would prove the alleged extortion.

In short, DOJ concluded that the documents submitted by the complainants didn't have any substantial information to prove that the OTS officers are guilty of the crime.

Despite the clear irregularities of the standard operating procedures in checking the luggage of plane passengers, the justice agency firmly stated the following message in the complaint resolution. It clearly mentioned that the Laglag-bala victim, Lane Michael White, has violated the laws of the Republic of the Philippines making him now a suspect.

As to respondents Clarin, Junio, Bernardo, and Navarro, the DOJ noted that there was no proof that they extorted money from White; in their counter-affidavits, they pointed out that they merely informed White of the fine, provided by law, that he was to pay for violating it...

This controversial decision of DOJ is really sick and unacceptable. I am not a lawyer so I am hopeful that once the Duterte administration kicks in, this issue will be completely eradicated. We are tired of hearing the so-called highly intelligent beings in the judiciary system who keep on tweaking laws due to b*llsh!t technicalities.

Is DOJ implicitly telling us that there's no "tanim-bala modus" at the airport that's why they dismissed the case of American tourist Lane Michael White?