BI to block Mikey's exit as it has no copy of ADO yet

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City court may have given its permission for Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo to leave the country, but the Bureau of Immigration (BI) will still block his exit because it has not yet received a copy of the allowed departure order (ADO).

Immigration spokesperson Ma. Antonette Bucasas-Mangrobang said that until yesterday, they have not yet received a copy of the ADO from the sala of Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QCRTC) Judge Marie Christine Jacob so Arroyo and his wife Angela were still included in their watchlist.

“We would follow the order... the BI will just implement it,” said Mangrobang, a lawyer. “The Immigration officer would have to rely on the order of the (BI) commissioner to implement the order of the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the court.”

Mangrobang said the bureau will also accept a copy of the ADO from the lawyer or representative of Arroyo.

“For as long as it was a certified true copy. We would also call the issuing court to verify,” she said. 

Arroyo and his wife Angela are covered by a 60-day watchlist order issued last Oct. 5 in connection to the tax evasion case filed against them by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) before the DOJ.

The couple was charged for allegedly failing to pay taxes worth P73.8 million in connection to the sale and purchase of various properties in the United States and in the Philippines, as well as pieces of jewelry, vehicles and shares of stocks.

Last Friday, Jacob allowed Arroyo to travel to the United States for a “semi-official business” trip from Nov. 14 to Dec. 7 but raised the bail bond for each of the three counts of tax evasion to P60,000 from P20,000.

The couple has already posted a P60,000 bond and will only have to deliver P120,000 more to complete the total bond of P180,000.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said it would be up to the courts to rule on the cases filed against the Arroyos. “We have nothing to do with that. Again, he (Mikey) has a case pending before the court and the judge gave the permission... in effect, that is entirely in the discretion of the presiding judge,” she said. – With Aurea Calica