NEW YORK, New York (The Adobo Chronicles) – Rumors have been circulating that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will be named Time magazine’s 2016 ‘Person of the Year.’

Well, those rumors can now be put to rest.

Time has announced that it has finally chosen its ‘Person of the Year.’ And it is not a person.

The magazine’s editors chose the laglag bala scheme that has dominated the tourism and travel industry for most of 2016’s third quarter.

Laglag bala (bullet planting) is a scheme at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) whereby airport personnel plant bullets in bags and luggage of unsuspecting airline passengers as a way of extorting money.

The scheme, although minimized by President Aquino as “isolated,” has created a huge impact on travel and business not only in the Philippines but worldwide.

Because of the scheme, many travelers cancelled their business or leisure trips to Manila for fear of being victimized themselves.  Those who had no choice but to fly into or out of NAIA had to resort to wrapping their luggage with plastic to avoid being targeted by the schemers.  Even U.S. President Barack Obama who attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit meeting in Manila last month was advised by the State Department to wrap his briefcase with plastic upon arrival and departure from NAIA.

Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ profiles persons, groups, or things, that have had the most impact on world events for any given year.

Because of the scheme’s worldwide impact, the Philippine government even gave it a new international name — Airport Ammo Interception.

This is only the second time that a non-person was named by Time.  The first was in 1982, when Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ was the computer.