BY JUN RAMIREZ
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente has welcomed the arrest of a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official for alleged bribery and extortion.
“We welcome the entrapment of the NBI official who was allegedly fixing cases of those involved in the pastillas scheme.
“This is a result of our previous request for NBI assistance in investigating allegations of corruption in our ranks,” he added.
“Pastillas” racket refers to the pay-off received by corrupt immigration officers from travel agencies to facilitate entry of improperly documented Chinese tourists.
Early this month, the NBI recommended the suspension and the prosecution for corruption of 19 immigration personnel implicated in the racket before the Office of the Ombudsman.
“We will continue to pursue our campaign against BI personnel engaged in corrupt activities in coordination with NBI and other law enforcement agencies in support of President Duterte’s desire to cleanse the bureau,” Morente stated.
Morente added that they are cooperating with the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, as well as the Department of Justice for the swift investigation on the alleged Pastillas scheme.
“We have submitted the documents and information requested for the investigation,” said Morente.
The Senate committee conducted today another hearing on the alleged Pastillas scheme. The hearing concluded with the recommendation of the panel to have a top to bottom reorganization, suspend all involved, and suspend the Visa Upon Arrival (VUA) system.
In January, the BI had suspended the VUA in an effort to slow down the entry of tourists following the spread of Covid-19. “We also support the recommendations of the committee on the reorganization of the bureau and the suspension of those involved,” said Morente.
