Metro Manila, Philippines – At least three alleged Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) bosses have reportedly evaded deportation proceedings after being allowed to purchase their own plane tickets, drawing outrage from lawmakers.
“Obviously gagawa sila ng paraan para makatakas… kasalanan natin ‘yan, kabobohan natin ‘yan,” Senator Win Gatchalian said in a press conference on Wednesday, March 5.
“Katangahan ‘yung bibili ng tickets ‘yung deportees,” he added.
[Translation: Obviously, they will find a way to escape. This is our fault, our stupidity. It is foolish to allow deportees to buy their own tickets.]
During a Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights hearing on Tuesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that the three Chinese nationals who were arrested in a raid at a POGO company in Parañaque never returned to China despite a standing deportation order from the Philippine government.
BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato Manahan admitted that, due to pressure to deport arrested POGO personalities as quickly as possible, the agency coordinated with the deportees to “shoulder or purchase” their own airfare.
“Kaya yung mga challenges po ng BI, wala po silang allocated funds for the tickets ng mga deportees. Madam Chair, also, the reason po na dineport itong tatlo, wala naman po silang, ang Chinese embassy at that time, wala pong minanifest na itong tatlong ito is fugitive or mayroong criminal offense sa China,” Manahan told Hontiveros.
[Translation: That’s one of the challenges for the BI; they don’t have allocated funds for the tickets of the deportees. Madam Chair, also, the reason these three were deported is that at the time, the Chinese embassy did not manifest that these individuals were fugitives or had criminal offenses in China.
“What a shame, no? I mean, dahil sa atin (because of us), against whom they committed the most crimes, sa mga kababayan natin, nakapuslit sila (to our fellow countrymen, they managed to slip away). So a deportation gone wrong,” Hontiveros replied.
When asked if this could be a case of collusion between the alleged POGO bosses and Immigration personnel, Gatchalian said it is possible.
He called for the Department of Justice to further investigate.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian announced he will file a resolution next week urging the BI to report its deportation activities to Congress.
