MANILA, Philippines - Marc Suselbeck, the German boyfriend of slain transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, voluntarily submitted for deportation yesterday.
While undergoing summary deportation proceedings on charges of gross arrogance and disrespect for breaching a military facility, Suselbeck volunteered to be deported in a motion filed with the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Suselbeck, along with family members of the slain transgender, breached the fence of a military facility in Camp Aguinaldo where murder suspect US Marine Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton is detained.
He was seen pushing off a soldier guarding the facility on Oct. 22.
Through lawyers led by Harry Roque, the German asked that his confiscated passport be returned and that he be allowed to fly back home after he was prevented from boarding his flight at the airport last Sunday.
“He received word from his employer in Germany that he has to report for work by Monday next week, Nov. 3, 2014, or risk losing his job and paying liquidated damages for failing to perform certain provisions in his employment contract,” read the motion.
Suselbeck, however, did not submit reply to the charges made against him by Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr.
“With a heavy heart – as he desires to defend himself against the charges leveled against him by Gen. Catapang – he manifests before this honorable office that he is seeking voluntary deportation the soonest time possible so he can attend to his only source of livelihood,” his lawyers explained.
They asked the immigration bureau to remove the name of Suselbeck from its watch list and allow him to leave “as soon as practicable” but not later than Saturday, Nov. 1.
Immigration spokesperson Elaine Tan said the deportation proceedings for Suselbeck may be expedited, but he has to first admit his wrongdoing.
“Once he admits his wrongdoing, he would be allowed to immediately leave. But he will also be blacklisted,” Tan said.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima explained Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison has the prerogative to decide on Suselbeck’s request.
“I will leave it up to the BI commissioner to act on it. Under the law, that is clearly within the prerogative of the BI commissioner. Let’s just wait for his decision,” she said.
De Lima earlier said that apart from deportation, a finding of the BI that Suselbeck is an undesirable alien could lead to his inclusion in the BI’s blacklist, which would prevent him from returning to the country.
Meanwhile, the Laude family will file today a complaint with the BI to have Pemberton deported as an undesirable alien.
Roque explained the complaint is part of the bid of the family to compel authorities to present Pemberton to the victim’s family and the public.
He said they would resort to this move after the Armed Forces of the Philippines rejected their request for access to the US Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board facility inside Camp Aguinaldo where Pemberton is detained.
Pemberton again was not presented to the Olongapo City Prosecutor’s Office during preliminary investigation hearing on the murder charge against him last Monday.
Roque said Pemberton should be made to suffer the same humiliation that Suselbeck went through at the airport last Sunday.
De Lima revealed earlier that the BI has also initiated deportation proceedings against Pemberton. But she clarified the proceedings were deferred because of the murder charge against him.
She explained the criminal case would have to be resolved first and a possible penalty served before a foreigner could be deported.