Fil-Am nurse 'on mission' held by BOC at NAIA

The Bureau of Customs on Thursday held a naturalized American nurse of Philippine descent after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport with at least two bags full of undocumented morphine and ephedrine — regulated drugs in the Philippines — for what she said was a medical mission. The nurse, identified as Gina Aplicador, a naturalized US citizen, resides in Joliet, Illinois, said Customs airport deputy district collector Thess Roque. Roque said that Customs examiner Rene Agulan became suspicious of one of Aplicador’s belongings — a US military duffel bag— as the nurse was approaching the Customs examination lane Wednesday morning for processing. Aplicador supposedly told the examiner she had nothing to declare, but when asked what was inside the duffel bag, she said it contained medicines for a medical mission in Eastern Samar, according to a BOC report. She was then asked by the examiner for an import permit, or at least a deed of donation or a deed of acceptance from the Philippine Consulate in Chicago to prove that the package of medicines was legal. However, she only had with her a list of the drugs inside the duffel bag and a letter from the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, certifying the medical mission that will supposedly be held Jan. 28-Feb. 12, 2011. The Customs Bureau turned over the nurse to the Philippine Druge Enforcement Agency, Roque said. The nurse explained the medicines were purchased using collections and personal donations from parishioners of Joliet diocese, and that over 30 members of the medical mission were asked to bring with them similar bags of drugs to save on shipping costs. She said this would be her second year to join the medical mission to Borongan, Eastern Samar, which has been going on since 2005. Last year, she brought a similar package into the country and did not have any problems with it, the nurse said. Vials of ephedrine and morphine were supposedly among the shipment of drugs that Aplicador allegedly brought in. Agulan said possession of regulated drugs without a medical prescription or an import permit is illegal. Roque said she ordered her office to verify with the Borongan Diocese if there is indeed a scheduled medical mission in the area. She added she will also verify the identities of the mission’s members. — With Jerrie Abella/VS, GMANews.TV