Pro tip: It’s not prudent to mention the B-word when going through a security check, unless you want to spend some time in jail and pay a fine.
A Japan-bound woman checking in at Ninoy Aquino International Airport learned this the hard way.
Nancy Ebata was arrested for violating the Anti-Bomb Joke Law. She remains in the custody of the Aviation Security Unit National Capital Region (Avseu-NCR), according to Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The 27-year-old went through the usual check-in procedure at the NAIA T2 for her Philippine Airlines flight to Haneda Airport on Tue, Jun 7.
When asked by the customer agent Leonardo Mendina Jr. if there was anything fragile inside her bag, she replied, “Just my friend’s trinkets. There’s also a bomb! Joke, joke, joke!”
Now she knows that bombs are no joking matter.
Mendina immediately reported the incident to his manager, and Ebata didn’t get to board her flight.
Bomb jokes have been explicitly banned in the country’s airport since 2006.
The punishment? Five-year jail term and a PHP40,000 fine.
