‘RP immigration gang may be the biggest crime syndicate in Asia’

A group at the immigration bureau involved in illegal activities may turn out to be the "biggest and most organized crime syndicate" in Asia whose funds may "dwarf (that) of any terrorist group or drug cartel in the region," a lawmaker revealed yesterday.

"The most notorious and grossly appalling act of this syndicate is setting free terrorists, members or high-ranking bosses of international drug organizations and criminals who committed crimes against our people," Rep. Robert "Ace" Barbers said yesterday.

The administration congressman earlier exposed what he said was the unlawful deportation in May 2005 of suspected terrorist Vo Van Duc, an American of Vietnamese descent, and Chinese Shang Du, who was facing charges of kidnapping for ransom, another non-bailable offense.

Barbers vowed to unravel in the next few days the corrupt activities of immigration agents he accused of regularly extorting money from illegal aliens and facilitating fake visas for a "mind-boggling fee."

"I will expose to the eyes of the public and the world the biggest and most organized crime syndicate operating right under our noses, inside the Bureau of Immigration (BI)," he said in a statement.

Barbers said the funds earned by this syndicate on an annual basis and the total take from their operations for 15 years could dwarf the funds of any other terrorist group or drug cartel in the region.

The Lakas stalwart disclosed that records he obtained from BI insiders even indicate an encroachment of the country’s neighbors, as these scalawags operate "even outside of the country’s borders."

"Fake entry visas are sold at a staggering amount of P500,000 each to willing foreigners who want to come here for good or engage in illegal businesses. Tens of thousands of foreigners enter the country yearly this way," Barbers said.

From this alone, he said one could just imagine the amount involved. "For a mere 1,000 persons, that becomes P500 million. This does not include the periodic shakedowns by agents when they are already in the country. This costs as much as P250,000 each."

This regular extortion, he said, excludes the "daily illegal entry of very young foreigners in the pretext of being seamen who are going to board their fishing vessels here in South Harbor."

"There are thousands of them. While there are orders for their entry, there are none for their exits. Where are they now? Perhaps the merchants in Divisoria, Binondo and Baclaran who cannot speak a single Tagalog word will give you a clue," Barbers hinted.

These illegal aliens who regularly shell out money to corrupt immigration personnel "are the untouchables who cannot be apprehended."

"As proof, no mission order is being issued for their apprehension," he said, adding there will eventually be, if this issue comes out in media.

Apart from milking the foreigners dry, Barbers disclosed that aliens have been "languishing" either in the BI detention cell or in Bicutan, only because they have not coughed up money despite the issuance of deportation orders.