The Bureau of Immigration (BI) thanked the Department of Justice (DOJ) for expediting the local cases of the four Japanese deportees wanted in the Luffy case.
“This has been a constant frustration for immigration authorities,” said BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco. “There are many instances wherein we are unable to implement the deportation of a foreign national because of their pending cases here in the Philippines,” he added.
Department of Justice Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said that the Department will look into ways to deal with deportations being held off by local cases in the country.
“The support of the Department to push for the immediate resolution of these cases is really helpful,” said Tansingco. “This action would also majorly help us decongest our facility,” he added.
The BI’s facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig has a capacity of 140 wards, but is currently housing more than 300 deportees.
The BI also announced that they are set to deport two more Japanese nationals tagged as prime suspects in the ‘Luffy’ case.
Tomonobu Saito,45, and Yuki Watanabe, 38, are set to be deported on Wednesday after having been cleared of their local cases in the Philippines.
BI thanks DOJ for expediting of Japanese detainees
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stated that the deportation of Japanese nationals who were jailed in the Philippines who were allegedly involved in fraud and robberies in their home nation made his five-day business tour here easy.
“We thought, perhaps, it would clear the decks… for the talks that we’re going to have with the Japanese,” Marcos said.
The deportation of the Japanese suspects, according to the President “was actually in the process already before the Japan trip was even planned.”
“It was just by coincidence that it happened,” Marcos said.
“Of course, it cannot hurt because it is a request from the Japanese government and so we are always going to acquiesce to that request,” he added.
Four years after Japan’s initial request to deport the inmates in 2019, the deportation went place.
The Philippine government’s “constructive” approach and cooperation over the deportation of its citizens were praised by the Japanese embassy in Manila.
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