The Bureau of Immigration (BI) thanked the Department of Justice (DOJ) for their support in resolving the ‘Demanda Me’ scheme.
During the Public Hearing of the Committee on Finance presided by Senator Sonny Angara last October 9, Secretary of Justice Jesus Crispin Remulla bared to lawmakers the scheme being employed by arrested foreign nationals in the BI’s custody.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco detailed the scheme, saying that since deportations of foreign nationals cannot be implemented if they have pending local cases, some foreign nationals resort to seeking services of corrupt lawyers to file frivolous cases against themselves to delay their deportation.
Remulla, during the hearing, cited a recent case wherein a Japanese fugitive faced a case of Violence Against Women and Children filed by his wife, who continued to visit him on a daily basis.
“Obviously, the case is made up so as to delay his deportation,” said Tansingco. “We thank Secretary Remulla for his support in pushing for the expeditious resolutions of such cases for us to be able to implement long-overdue deportations,” he added.
BI thanks DOJ for support in resolving ‘demanda me scheme’
The BI’s Warden Facility in Taguig currently houses 276 foreign nationals, but can only carry more than 100. Of the total number, more than half have uncleared criminal cases on record, 53% of which are fugitives from justice.
“This is really a modus of fugitives to escape arrest in their home countries,” said Tansingco. “With the DOJ running after lawyers and courts who perpetrate such schemes, I’m sure no one would dare use this scheme again,” he stated.
Meanwhile, BI officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) barred from entering the country on Tuesday night, another american previously convicted of sex crimes in the United States (US).
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman tansingco identified the excluded passenger as Todd Nolan Jones, 60, who was intercepted before midnight last October 11 at the NAIA Terminal 1 moments after he arrived aboard a Eva Air flight from Taipei.
Jones was immediately denied entry and booked on the first available flight back to his port of origin. He was later placed in the BI blacklist of undesirable aliens.
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