David’s removal just rumor – BI

MANILA, Philippines - An immigration official yesterday defended Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. from issues raised to oust him, including a complaint filed against him in Malacañang by an American for alleged continuous detention.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said the issues raised against David were rehashed, inaccurate and had long been in the rumor mill.

She hinted that the report about David’s looming replacement could be the work of some disgruntled BI employees.

“The commissioner has imposed a lot of disciplinary sanctions on a lot of our personnel. That is my personal observation,” she said.

Mangrobang also noted that many immigration commissioners during their terms fell victim to rumors that they would be removed from their post.

“It has always been like that,” she added.

She also said that David wants to set the record straight on the deportation case of Walter Francis Groves, an American alien detained at the Bicutan facility who complained of human rights violation for prolonged incarceration.

David reportedly gave instructions to some immigration officials to complete the report on Groves after their Monday flag ceremony.

The United States embassy reportedly complained that David refused to release Groves even after the Makati regional trial court dismissed the estafa case filed against the American.

But David debunked Groves’ claim that the BI violated his rights since he was arrested and detained more than two years ago.

David explained that Groves could not be deported because the dismissal of his estafa case by the Makati RTC has yet to attain finality.

His case was only provisionally dismissed and it can still be revived if the parties fail to comply with the compromise agreement that they reached.

Prosecutor Roberto Lao, who was detailed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to the BI, also contended that under the rules, the BI has to wait for two years from the date of the provisional dismissal of the case before Groves could be deported.

“But if the court would issue a clearance that there is no more pending case against him, we will waste no time and deport him immediately aboard the first available flight to the US,” David said.

As for the detainee’s petition that he be released on bail, David said he could not allow that because the deportation order against him was already final.

Groves earlier filed a complaint against David with the Office of the President, alleging that he was continuously detained by the BI without trial.

David dismissed the charge as baseless, saying the American was accorded due process and given his day in court with the assistance of his lawyer.

As in the case of Kim Tae-dong, who was wanted in South Korea for allegedly cheating in a casino but in 2011 escaped from bureau agents while he was confined at St. Luke’s Medical Center for hypertension and diabetes, Mangrobang said this issue is just being resurrected by David’s detractors.

“It was the same case some two years ago, so it was just a repeat,” she added.