MIAA to investigate airport personnel over alleged theft of passenger's jewelry

The Manila International Airport Authority is investigating the loss and eventual recovery of a passenger's jewelry, which was allegedly taken by airline personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

Kimberly Nakamura shared on Facebook that she discovered her jewelry box, which contained nearly P500,000 worth of items, including her wedding rings, a diamond necklace, and earrings, was missing from her hand-carry bag when she arrived in Singapore from Manila on June 28.

While acknowledging that she could've accidentally dropped or misplaced the item, she attempted to trace her jewelry box through Changi Airport and Cebu Pacific, the carrier of the aircraft she boarded. After reaching out to NAIA Terminal 3, which said that the item wasn't in Lost & Found, Nakamura posted about her missing jewelry box in a social media group. A Cebu Pacific agent told her it was seen at Gate 104 at the Manila airport.

"CCTV [footage] later revealed that several airport staff from Cebu Pacific, Quickstar Security airline, and Jetstar found and passed around the jewelry box—yet no one turned it over to Lost & Found at NAIA T3," she wrote.

According to Nakamura, more than 10 different personnel were seen handling the jewelry box from June 28, 4 p.m. to June 29, 7 a.m.

"They each had a chance to do the right thing, but they didn't. This marked the beginning of a series of mishandlings that led to the disappearance of both rings. From a simple Lost and Found case, it became theft," Nakamura said.

Nakamura went on to share that the Airport Police Division (APD) recovered her jewelry box—with only the earrings and necklace—on July 8. The staff member who surrendered it later confessed to taking it home for personal use but said that there were no rings inside it.

With her wedding rings still missing, the passenger issued an ultimatum to all involved staff: return the rings or face charges for gross negligence and qualified theft.

A security staff member admitted to stealing one of the rings on July 13, while the other was returned via an anonymous text message about its location the next day. The APD swiftly recovered it.

After the ordeal, Nakamura called for accountability from the involved airline companies and agencies.

"Your people committed theft and negligence. This must not be tolerated," she urged. "This is not an isolated mistake. It reflects a failure in staff training, security protocol, and basic integrity."

"Maybe I wasn’t as attentive as I should’ve been—and I take responsibility for that. But does that mean my things deserved to be stolen? Of course not! Palagi na lang ba tayo mangangamba kapag papasok ng airport? Did I give them the chance to steal? No, they chose to steal. This is basic integrity."

MIAA to take action

While Nakamura isn't pressing formal charges, the MIAA is pushing for disciplinary action against all responsible parties within the involved airlines and security agencies.

"This behavior has no place in our airport,"  MIAA General Manager Eric Ines.

Ines also said that any found items must be promptly reported to Lost & Found to ensure they are returned to their rightful owners.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon also ordered an investigation into the incident to ensure it doesn't happen again.

"It's unacceptable na may mawawalang ganyan," he told reporters on July 16.

The Civil Aviation Board has also issued show cause orders to the involved parties.

Jetstar Asia told PhilSTAR L!fe in an email that the individual involved is not an employee of their company but of its handling agent at NAIA, Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions.

In a quick chat with L!fe, Nakamura said she is currently awaiting a response from MIAA and the airlines involved, as they are conducting internal investigations. She is still pursuing administrative charges and will press criminal charges if she does not receive a response from the MIAA regarding the proper sanctions.

"We are prepared to file formal complaints," she said. 

'Don’t stay silent'

Despite being in another country at the time, Nakamura shared that she persisted in looking for her lost jewelry box because she had a lead. After contacting the APD, she stayed with the surveillance team for 12 hours a day for three days to review footage "minute by minute" and coordinate with authorities.

"Piece by piece, we saw what was happening," she said. "I wake up early morning and come back late at night. I Google search what I have to do next. I cc’d CAB, [Customer Relations Center], [Cebu Pacific], and Jetstar—everyone, to make sure this is escalated. The APD T3 and surveillance team were cooperative, and we all worked together to solve the case. It was very stressful, but it [was] worth it in the end."

To those who have experienced a similar incident, Nakamura advises being firm and persistent.

"Because no one else will do it for you. Document everything, take note of the time [and] place you last saw the item. If you don’t know where to start, go to APD and ask [for] assistance if you want to review CCTV, or ask for a formal investigation."

She also said to email authorities like CAB and CRC. "Everyone has the right to speak up; don’t stay silent."

PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to NAIA Terminal 3, the MIAA Police Department, Cebu Pacific, and  Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions but has yet to receive a reply.