MANILA, Philippines, Oct 17, (Agencies): The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has officially announced the suspension of the Office for Transportation Security's (OTS) policy mandating the removal of shoes at all airports throughout the Philippines.

Under this suspension, passengers will only need to remove their footwear when specific conditions are met, such as when an alarm is triggered during security screening, during periods of heightened security, or during random screening.

However, the OTS, as per a report submitted to the DOTr, indicated that this screening requirement will still be in place for flights bound for the United States.

The implementation of the mandatory footwear removal policy by the OTS took effect on July 10, irrespective of the prevailing security condition level. This measure was introduced with the primary objective of identifying and preventing the concealment of prohibited items within shoes, which could potentially be used for unlawful activities.

According to the OTS, this policy yielded positive results, as it led to the discovery of ammunition and a package of suspected drugs concealed inside shoes during an x-ray inspection of a foreign passenger's belongings at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on August 10.

On the same day, a separate incident occurred at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, where an OTS screening resulted in the apprehension of a passenger after a suspected package of marijuana was found concealed within the shoe of a Surigao-bound traveler.

The mandatory removal of footwear, however, has been temporarily suspended while it undergoes a review by the DOTr.