“Siguro po, obvious ang sagot. Hindi po siguro alam ni Presidente na hindi pa sila nasisisante [Perhaps, the explanation is obvious. The President may not have known they have not been fired yet],” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing.
Close to a hundred Bureau of Immigration (BI) employees were suspended by the Ombudsman last year over their alleged involvement in the scam. They are now back to work after their six-month preventive suspension lapsed, contrary to the President’s assertion last Monday that he has already removed them from their posts.
However, Roque said Duterte’s incorrect statement can be construed as a “mandate” for the Department of Justice to dismiss the implicated workers at the soonest possible time.
“Hindi po katanggap-tanggap ‘yung ginawa nilang ‘pastillas’ scheme. Kailangan po talaga sibakin sila [Their involvement in the ‘pastillas’ scheme is unacceptable. They really have to be fired],” Roque said.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday explained the BI personnel were allowed to return to work since the investigation on their alleged participation is not yet finished.
The pastillas scheme – first exposed in February last year – allegedly allowed Chinese nationals to enter the country without background checks in exchange for grease money. The operation was dubbed “pastillas” because money would be hidden in rolled bond paper like the wrapping for the milk candy.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 29) — Malacañang on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte was simply uninformed when he claimed during his State of the Nation Address that he has fired Immigration personnel tagged in the “pastillas” bribery scheme.
