MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 18, 2014) – The Philippines has tightened its watch on high-profile personalities facing criminal charges or those in the government’s watch list following reports that some of these people had tried to flee the country.
Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison said persons, especially those prohibited from leaving the country, will be prevented from doing so even as he assured that each individual’s legal rights will be respected.
Mison said they will continue to strictly enforce hold departure order, blacklist order and alert list order. “Any person whose name is in the hold departure list shall be denied departure. If the person is a subject of a warrant of arrest, he or she shall be turned-over to the Philippine National Police or the National Bureau of Investigation.”
“If the person is a subject of a pending deportation case, his or her passport shall be confiscated and turned over to the legal division. A foreign national whose name is in the blacklist shall not be denied departure provided that there is no other derogatory record against him. Otherwise, the foreign national and his passport shall be referred to the Intelligence Division who shall eventually turn over the subject and his or her passport to the legal division for implementation of the deportation,” Mison said.
Mison also required immigration officers to prepare within 24 hours a detailed report on any failed attempt to depart as a result of an enforcement of a hold order, blacklist or alert order.
Authorities did not say who were the personalities that tried to leave the country, but confirmed that some had attempted to flee, however, they were stopped at the immigration counter at the international airport.
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