Congestion is not the sole problem of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) in its prison facilities. Overcrowding is also a main concern of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in its detention center in Taguig City.
Both BuCor and BI are attached agencies of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
DOJ Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV said: “We are simultaneously helping the BI dahil po marami pong mga banyaga and naka detain sa immigration detention center (because there are many foreigners detained).”
During his interview on DZBB on Friday, Aug. 25, Clavano said: “Kailangan po nating ipadeport itong lahat sa immigration center (We need to deport these aliens at the immigration center),”
But he lamented that many of the detained foreigners could not be deported immediately because of their pending cases in Philippine courts.
“Marami po kasing nagpapa-file ng case against themselves para po hindi sila madeport (Many of them have instigated the filing cases against themselves so they won’t be deported),” he said.
Thus, he said, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla has ordered a review of the cases filed against the detained foreigners to determine which of the cases are instigated by the foreigners, themselves.
To solve the problem of congestion, Clavano said the DOJ is currently pushing for the construction of additional detention facilities for the BI.
“Hinihingi natin sa Congress ang additional budget para po makagawa po tayo ng karagdagang detention center para sa immigration (We are also asking Congress for additional budget for the construction of additional detention centers for the BI),” he disclosed.
Clavano tackled the congestion at BI’s detention center when asked during the interview why the 29 foreigners arrested during a raid at the facility of the Rivendell Global Support, Inc., a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO), are still detained at the firm’s facilities in Pasay City.
He said the POGO facilities have to be used as a detention center because of overcrowding of the BI’s facility in Taguig City.
He then said that one of those foreigners detained at the POGO facilities had escaped and is now subject of a massive manhunt.
He said the DOJ has been exerting efforts to re-capture the escapee who, together with the other foreigners, are facing criminal charges before the Pasay City regional trial court (RTC) for violations of the Securities Regulations Code.
The 29 foreigners are also facing complaints before the DOJ for cybercrime-related frauds.