BI employee tagged in P6.4-billion shabu middleman’s bribe try

MANILA, Philippines — A Bureau of Immigration (BI) employee acted as an emissary for businessman Kenneth Dong and tried to bribe immigration officers to allow him to leave the country, an official admitted yesterday.

Marc Red Marinas, BI Port Operations Division (POD) chief, said that on Jan. 8, one of the airport supervisors based in the Visayas told him that Dong, whose Chinese name is Dong Yi Shen, “has an emissary who reportedly offered a head supervisor the amount of P10 million to facilitate (his) departure.”

Dong has long been on the BI’s immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) after he was accused of being the middleman for the shipment of P6.4 billion worth of shabu seized in two warehouses in Valenzuela City last year.

The subject of an ILBO can still leave the country but needs clearance from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The cases filed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have been submitted for resolution at the DOJ while the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) recently filed a case against him before the DOJ. 

Marinas said the supervisor called the POD and he gave the supervisor instructions to “turn down the offer. Even if they offered to double the amount, turn it down.”

“I think Dong would not really be given clearance, that is why they reportedly offered to bribe. He is using someone to call” BI officials, he added.

Marinas said he immediately reported the incident to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, who directed BI personnel manning the country’s ports to strictly implement the ILBO.

He said they went to the DOJ last Tuesday to discuss filing a bribery case against the BI employee, who already has a previous derogatory record and was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a South Korean.

As for Dong, Marinas said he would leave it up to the DOJ to decide if any case could be filed against the businessman.