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A US-based Filipino couple who recently came back to the Philippines for a vacation were shocked to discover that more than PHP20,000 worth of goods were stolen from their balikbayan boxes.
Engaged couple Fe Lopez and Odiyl Glem Gutierrez boarded a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Los Angeles and had brought one balikbayan box each. However, when they landed in Manila, they saw that the boxes had been tampered. Several items had also been taken from the boxes.
“When they left Los Angeles, Gutierrez’s box underwent random inspection by the US Transport Security Administration, while Lopez passed through customs untouched. But they were sure that both boxes were in pristine condition then,” reports GMA News Online.
Manila International Airport Administration (MIAA) general manager Jose Angel Honrado said all responsibilities for the missing packages lie with PAL, which brought the couple back to the Philippines. “Airlines have 100% accountability on luggages from check-in to retrieval at destination,” Honrado said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Lopez and Gutierrez have filed a formal complaint with PAL. The airline management has said they are now investigating the incident.
