The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has slammed an online post by controversial businessman Xian Gaza detailing how he supposedly evaded immigration inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to fly out of the country last year. In a series of photos on Facebook, Gaza described how he was able to depart the Philippines last September despite allegedly having “three arrest warrants and after being sentenced to five years in prison.”
“He was allowed to leave the country because he had no derogatory records when he left,” said BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said.
It can be recalled that Gaza made headlines in 2017 after asking movie actress Erich Gonzales for a coffee date via billboard advertisements installed in strategic areas of Metro Manila. She did not accept the offer.
He was allegedly involved in multi-million-peso investment scam.
The Facebook post has already garnered 8,000 comments and more than 22,000 shares.
Ms. Sandoval said it would be impossible for an individual to leave country via airports and seaports if he is placed under the BI’s derogatory database.
According to her, once a person is included in the hold departure order (HDO), or warrant of arrest watch list, he will be automatically barred from leaving the country.
The lady official also clarified there was no conversation between Gaza and an immigration officer, as claimed by the businessman describing his story as “preposterous, similar to other claims he made in the past”
“Since he had no derogatory record when he left, he was cleared for departure. It was quite uneventful and ordinary. No Hollywood-level storyline, just regular immigration clearance,” Sandoval said.
She said the agency is studying possible legal action against him, adding that the viral post is a “cause for concern and stunts like this using the bureau to gain fame is a security risk, making a mockery of our airport procedures.”(Jun Ramirez)