Justice Sec. investigates raps vs. BI-7

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez had sent a team of investigators to Cebu to conduct an investigation on the alleged involvement of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) Central Visayas officials in human smuggling and other money-making activities.

Gonzalez in an interview over radio station DYLA yesterday said that the intelligence team from his office conducted the investigation after he got several written complaints from identified and anonymous individuals about the alleged money-making activities of the BI-7 officials.

He however clarified that this is not confined to the region alone.

"But this is not only in Central Visayas, this is everywhere. This is our number one problem... this supposed human smuggling especially illegal aliens who are coming here," Gonzalez said.

The investigation stemmed from the arrest of Indian national Jasbir Singh early this year. Singh was reportedly made to pay money to BI-7 officials so he can continue to do business here.

The officials of BI-7 have denied having arrested Singh in their response to an order from Sec. Gonzalez to explain their side on the allegation.

BI-7 regional director Geronimo Rosas was ordered by Gonzalez to explain within 72 hours why no formal investigation should be conducted in a memorandum dated August 16, 2006.

Rosas has already submitted his response to the memo last Friday, said Gonzalez, but he would not yet divulge the contents of the response.

An anonymous complainant has made serious allegations of corruption in the regional office of the bureau.

The complaint stated that BI-7 officials allegedly receive P400 thousand to P600 thousand to facilitate the entry of undocumented aliens particularly Indians and Pakistanis.

The complaint further said that BI officials would even personally meet these aliens and accompany them out of the airport and provide them with a vehicle that would take them to their destination.

The complainant further said that these illegal aliens are even advised to look for Filpina wives to legitimize their stay in the country.

There were further allegations that those who fail to legalize their stay in the country would be subject to harassment so they would pay up.

Sec. Gonzalez confirmed the proliferation of these activities not only in Central Visayas, but also in the other parts of the country. He said that some scalawags at the immigration bureau are using fake mission orders to harass and extort money from foreigners.

The complaint lodged to Gonzalez also said that this modus happened with the undocumented Indians, Pakistani, Chinese and Koreans.

For Chinese nationals, they are paying between P200,000 to P300,000 so that they can be released after their arrest.

The other alleged money making activities include the so-called Hulidap, which means that BI men would arrest foreigners on suspicion of committing violations of immigration laws. The real intention for such however is to extort money.

There are also the issuance of bogus mission orders, which are the basis of conducting illegal arrest; non-issuance of receipts for payments for visa extensions in the Express Lane which is P500 per foreigner; fixers existing in the Bureau and others.

Lucille Mendoza Singh, Jabir's wife, has written to Gonzalez telling him that her husband was arrested by NBI agents for being the suspect behind the murder of another Indian national. She said that Jabir was later being turned over to the BI-7, and then flown to Manila for deportation proceedings.

Lucille admitted in her complaint that they have been paying monthly payola to the BI office to avoid harassment.

Rosas, in a memorandum, said that Singh was turned over to the BI on January 20, 2006 by operatives of National Bureau of Investigation 7 upon the instruction of their acting regional director Medardo de Lemos.

The purpose of such was for investigation and verification of his immigration documents and status.

It was found that Singh was not among those in the list of approved petition or application of Temporary Resident Visa by the Board of Commissioners on April 8, 2005, contrary to the alien's claim.

Rosas added that on the following day, Singh was escorted to the BI main office in Manila for further investigation. This was done based on an instruction from Commissioner Alipio Fernandez.