Until DOJ report is out: Immigration commissioner says Rosas can stay in post

Beleaguered Bureau of Immigration regional director Geronimo Rosas will stay in office until the Department of Justice committee, tasked to look into the complaints, submits its report within the week.

Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez said he would allow Rosas to remain despite the clamor of the complainants for his immediate relief and preventive suspension amid worries that he might suppress evidence and use his influence to harass them.

Rosas could not be held in preventive suspension without legal basis because he is a career officer with security of tenure under the civil service laws, Fernandez said.

It would be the investigation report of the DOJ committee that would be the basis to determine whether or not a preventive suspension would be imposed on Rosas, the commissioner said.

Rosas was accused of extortion activities in the bureau where he had been allegedly asking money from foreigners in exchange of resolving problems on their travel documents.

Singh, after filing a complaint against Rosas, asked the bureau to put him under preventive suspension to deter him from using his influence over the pending investigation.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña meanwhile denied reports that he called up the commissioner last week to ask for the relief of Rosas, who he allegedly branded as a disgrace to the bureau.

Fernandez, for his part, told DyLA he never received a call from the mayor or any local official from Cebu about Rosas' relief. "Wala namang tumawag sa akin," he said. - Fred P. Languido/RAE