By Jun Ramirez
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has detained an overstaying Korean national who allegedly lured into prostitution several Filipinas employed as bar girls in a nightclub in Mindanao which he owned.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
BI intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. identified the Korean as Suc Joo Chang a.k.a. Seok Choi, who was arrested last June 13 by operatives of the bureau’s Mindanao intelligence task group (MITG) in General Santos City, South Cotabato.
Manahan said the BI agents arrested Chang on the strength of a mission order from Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente who learned that the alien was charged with human trafficking, following a police raid in his nightclub.
The raid reportedly resulted in the rescue of 22 women who were employed as bar girls in the said joint and were allegedly made to dance in the nude and perform lewd acts onstage before customers.
Chang is presently detained at the BI's holding facility in Davao.
Morente ordered the initiation of deportation proceedings against the Korean for overstaying and being an undesirable alien.
It was learned that Chang failed to extend his stay in the country since his tourist visa expired last Jan. 19.
Morente, however, stressed that the Korean's possible deportation will not yet be implemented while waiting for the resolution of his pending criminal case.
“If convicted, he will have to serve his sentence first before we can deport him. Afterwards, we will place him in our blacklist to prevent him from returning to the Philippines,” the BI chief said.
He added that “aliens who prey on our poor women by forcing them into prostitution do not deserve the privilege to stay in the country.”
(MANILA BULLETIN)
BI intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. identified the Korean as Suc Joo Chang a.k.a. Seok Choi, who was arrested last June 13 by operatives of the bureau’s Mindanao intelligence task group (MITG) in General Santos City, South Cotabato.
Manahan said the BI agents arrested Chang on the strength of a mission order from Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente who learned that the alien was charged with human trafficking, following a police raid in his nightclub.
The raid reportedly resulted in the rescue of 22 women who were employed as bar girls in the said joint and were allegedly made to dance in the nude and perform lewd acts onstage before customers.
Chang is presently detained at the BI's holding facility in Davao.
Morente ordered the initiation of deportation proceedings against the Korean for overstaying and being an undesirable alien.
It was learned that Chang failed to extend his stay in the country since his tourist visa expired last Jan. 19.
Morente, however, stressed that the Korean's possible deportation will not yet be implemented while waiting for the resolution of his pending criminal case.
“If convicted, he will have to serve his sentence first before we can deport him. Afterwards, we will place him in our blacklist to prevent him from returning to the Philippines,” the BI chief said.
He added that “aliens who prey on our poor women by forcing them into prostitution do not deserve the privilege to stay in the country.”