BI facility head, personnel relieved from posts over Japanese detainee with 6 phones

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has relieved from posts the head and other personnel of its warden facility after six cell phones were retrieved from a Japanese detainee suspected of being a mastermind of illegal activities in Japan, the agency’s spokesperson said Friday.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the responsibility lies with the head of the warden facility.

“Because if [it’s] this massive then definitely po there must be something going on. So napalitan po ang head and all the people po inside the facility pinagpapalitan po natin 'yan ng mga bago po na mga empleyado natin,” she said.

(If it’s this massive then definitely there must be something going on. So we replaced the head and all the people inside the facility with new employees.)

The Department of Justice on Tuesday revealed that six iPhones were taken from one of the four Japanese nationals whom the Japanese government had requested to be deported.

According to Sandoval, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco did not authorize the use of cell phones in the facility.

“Yes, ang paggamit po ng gadget sa warden facility natin pinapayagan po with prior approval ng commissioner. So kailangan po may authorization muna ng commissioner and may schedule po 'yan,” she said.

(The use of a gadget in the warden facility must have prior approval from the commissioner. The commissioner needs to authorize this and there is a schedule for it.)

“But nakita po natin na marami pong mga gadgets doon and wala pa po, mula nung nag-assume po si Commissioner Tansingco, wala pa po siyang pinipirmahan na any request or application for approval na paggamit po ng mga gadgets,” Sandoval added.

(But we saw many gadgets there and Commissioner Tansingco has not signed any request or application for approval since he assumed his post.)

Sandoval said Tansingco will also visit the facility Friday to inspect it for further improvements.

“And nakikita po niya na it’s really something to be prioritized by the Bureau because it’s a concern already if it’s being abused by these kinds of syndicates or criminals here in the country,” she said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News