Win Gatchalian wants BI probed for letting POGO deportees buy own airline tickets

The Bureau of Immigration should be investigated for allowing three alleged POGO bosses subject to deportation to purchase their own airline tickets, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Thursday.

Gatchalian made the call a day after Senator Risa Hontiveros bared that the three Chinese nationals did not return to China following their deportation because they purchased tickets with layovers.

"Actually, katangahan '

yan on our part. Dahil POGO bosses yan eh, may mga pera yan, may mga connection yan. I'm sure, alam rin nila kung paano gumalaw at na-prove na natin 'yan dun sa pagtakas ni Alice Guo na kaya niyang lumipat sa iba't-ibang lugar at may connections sila. May sumasalo habang gumalaw siya...Katangahan 'yung bibili ng ticket 'yung deportees," Gatchalian said.

Asked if the Department of Justice, being its mother agency, should investigate the BI, Gatchalian said "yes."

"I'm sure ang DOJ is taking note of this. Dapat imbestigahan nila ito," the senator said.

For Gatchalian, a possible "connivance" between the BI and the deportees could not be taken out of the picture, noting the history of corruption inside the bureau.

"Oo nga. Baka hindi mo maalis sa isipan natin na nagkaroon yan sabwatan sa loob. We should further investigate this matter. Dahil, again, tatawanan tayo ng buong mundo kung pinapayagan natin itong mga deportees na bibili ng kanilang ticket. Parang nagbakasyon lang sila eh, ang nangyari," he said.

"Hindi iba 'yung korapsyon sa loob ng Bureau of Immigration. Naririnig natin yan... nangyayari na nga before. So ang pinakamahalaga ngayon ay imbestigahan. Yung dapat managot, eh dapat managot. At itong mga ganitong instances parang out of common sense, hindi siya normal na ginagawa na sila bibili ng ticket Kakausapin mo pa... and to think that POGO is a high-profile incident in our country, so lalo dapat nilang higpitan yan," he said.

During the Senate hearing on Tuesday, the BI said it "initiated a dialogue" with the arrested individuals in a raid in Parañaque where they asked who among them could shoulder or purchase their own tickets for their deportation.

BI Intelligence Division chief Fortunato Manahan admitted that the purchase of airline tickets is one of the challenges of the BI in deporting the arrested foreigners from POGOs, saying that there were no allocated funds for this.

Contrary to Manahan's claim, Gatchalian said the BI has a budget for their deportation activities.

"In fact, tinaasan pa nga yung budget nila dahil nga dito sa POGO. So meron silang budget sa pag-deport," he said.

With this "eye-opener" incident, Gatchalian floated the need for a resolution that would mandate the BI to report to the Senate their deportation activities.

"We should urge the BI to be transparent sa lahat ng kanilang mga deportees... I think a resolution can trigger that but itong naumpisahang investigation can also be a venue para mag-report sila dito," he said.

Further, the senator said that authorities should ensure that the airline tickets for the deportees are straight flights and it should be coordinated with the embassies.

"Dapat sinigurado natin na informed 'yung Chinese counterpart, siguraduhin na pagdating doon, makukulong. Dahil may mga nakita akong pictures sa mga ibang dineport natin. Pagdating doon, naka-handcuffs eh. Diretso sila sa kulungan. So dapat ganun ito. Bakit hindi nila ginawa?" he said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News