Mikey, wife placed on immigration watchlist

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday placed Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo and wife Angela on the watchlist of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in connection with the P73.85-million tax evasion suit they are facing.

In issuing Watchlist Order No. 394, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the issuance of the order is based on the “mandate of DOJ to administer the criminal justice system” and the “interest of the public and in order not to frustrate the ends of justice.”

The order would be in effect 60 days starting yesterday unless terminated earlier.

Under the order, the Arroyo couple would have to ask permission from the DOJ every time they intend to leave the country.

De Lima said the “possible flight risk” of the couple because of their available resources was considered in issuing the order.

“This (case) involved high profile personality with resources to possibly try to evade the arms of the law. I’m not saying that is their intention, but it’s one of the legal safeguards available to the executive department, particularly the prosecution arm,” she said.

The DOJ chief again invoked Department Circular No. 41, which gives her authority to issue a watchlist order or hold departure order against a respondent in a criminal case.

The circular, ironically, was approved by Mikey’s mother, former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

De Lima explained that the circular remains in effect after the Supreme Court had junked the petition of former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo questioning its constitutionality.

She said the tax evasion suit against Mikey and his wife is not persecution as they claimed it to be.

“We in DOJ don’t have other consideration aside from legal issues. We don’t at all consider political and other considerations,” she said.

De Lima added that the case against the couple “went through legal process” and that “they were given chance to answer the charges against them during preliminary investigation.”

The DOJ last Tuesday approved the indictment of Mikey for three counts of failure to file income tax returns (ITRs) for 2007, 2008, and 2009 and another three counts of failure to supply accurate information on his ITRs for 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Angela, on the other hand, is facing seven counts of violation for failure to file ITRs for the years 2003 to 2009.

The couple purportedly violated section 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code.  

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said they would send copies of the watchlist order to their field offices to prevent them from leaving the country.

Immigration Acting Associate Commissioner Abdullah Mangotara signed the order issued against the couple, who are said to reside at No. 15 Badjao Street, La Vista Subdivision, Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

Mangotara said that their Airport Operations Division (AOD) and Immigration Regulation Division (IRD) chiefs would implement the order. 

Mikey maintained yesterday that he and his wife have no intention to evade the law. “(The indictment was) unfortunate but as I have said, we have expected it since this administration has employed every bit of propaganda to publicly malign us even if it means depriving us of due process and violating our basic rights,” he said.              

“This is a well orchestrated move in this administration’s ploy to persecute us. I don‘t have any intention to evade the charges and will face them until the very end because my conscience is clear,” he said. He said his lawyers are studying all legal remedies available to them. “We will definitely – unlike this administration – respect and follow the rule of law,” he said.

Arroyo criticized De Lima for saying that they are likely to flee from the case against them.

“We faced the (tax evasion) complaints when they were filed by actively participating in the preliminary investigation (of the DOJ),” he said. 

 He said that as a lawmaker, he has a duty to his constituents.           

“I could not and would not abandon my oath to serve them. We have no intention to leave the country because we have not done anything wrong,” he said. – With Evelyn Macairan, Paolo Romero