Deported Filipinos arrive in Clark

About 90 Filipinos reportedly deported by US authorities for committing various offenses have been flown back to the country, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said yesterday.

NBI Interpol chief Ricardo Diaz said the deported Filipinos, mostly convicted criminals who have served their prison terms, juvenile offenders and overstaying aliens, arrived last Thursday at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at Clark Field, Pampanga.

Diaz said the deported Filipinos were brought back aboard an aircraft called Justice Prisoner Air Transport (JPAT).

Under the Department of Homeland Security, the US Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) arranged for their return.

Diaz said he ordered two of his agents to check if any of the arriving Filipinos have pending warrants in the country. "Our men are on standby, so that if they have a pending case here in the Philippines, we could immediately apprehend them," he said.

But Interpol Special Investigator Limuel Loyola, one of the two NBI agents present at the DMIA, said none of the 90 deportees had existing warrants.

"At first, we detained two persons because there were cases pending against them, but we released them later after learning that they (the accused) were only their namesakes," he said.

Diaz added, "this signifies that when they left the country they had no criminal cases and that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and other government agencies had been effective in securing our borders."

The deportation process started some two years ago. Just last March 17, about 80 Filipinos were sent home.

Loyola said the US has become more aggressive in its campaign against illegal aliens following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Among the Filipino deportees, there were about 12 youth offenders between the ages of 16 and 17. Some of their offenses were drug-related and involved physical assault. — Evelyn Macairan