John Estrada held for illegal ammo possession

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport arrested Thursday actor John Estrada for illegal possession of bullets, airport officials said. Estrada, 34, was about to board a Malaysian Airlines plane bound for Kuala Lumpur around 4 p.m. when the final x-ray check on his hand-carried bag detected nine live 9 mm ammunitions. When police asked the actor if he has papers for the bullets, Estrada did not produce any document. Col. Efren Labiang, district commander of the PNP Aviation Security Group, said Estrada is facing charges for violating Presidential Decree 1866 or the law against illegal possession of ammunition. The case will be filed at the Pasay Prosecutors Office Thursday night. 2007 bomb joke This was not the first time Estrada found himself in trouble with airport authorities. Estrada was briefly held by airport police in General Santos City in July last year for joking that he was carrying a bomb in his luggage. Police said Estrada had refused to let his luggage be searched, saying he was carrying a bomb. Estrada, who was scheduled to fly back to Manila via a Philippine Airlines flight, was brought to the General Santos airport security office. The actor was released and allowed to board the plane after his baggage was thoroughly inspected. Estrada apologized and said he had learned his lesson not to joke about bombs in airports. The actor had reportedly come from an election campaign sortie for boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, who was a congressional candidate in General Santos City. Making jokes about bombs is strictly prohibited in Philippine airports and airliners, and signs are prominently displayed warning passengers about it. -GMANews.TV