The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) have settled the reported irritant on the alleged withholding of information by the bureau on the escape last July of dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac.
DOJ Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez said on Sunday, Sept. 8, during an interview on Teleradyo that “naayos na ho ‘yun (It’s been settled).”
“Ngayon meron ng pong coordination ‘yung communications kaya mas maige na meron ng mga designated individuals na dapat pwede magsalita lamang lalo ng kung mga official declarations (Now we have coordination with our communications that’s why it would be best if there are designated individuals who can talk especially on official declarations),” he said.
Vasquez stated that the relationship between the DOJ and its attached agency, the BI, is “okay naman ho (it’s okay).”
“Patuloy pa rin ang pagseserbisyo ng BI sa kani-kanilang mandato. Ganoon din sa amin tuloy pa din ho ang pagsusupervise po namin, pagtulong po namin sa kanila kung may pangangailangan na dapat gawin (The BI continues to provide service under it’s mandate and the DOJ continues to supervise the bureau)," he said.
Vasquez pointed these out after DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla revealed last Sept. 4 that he has not been talking to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco for not immediately informing the department about information that Guo left the Philippines.
“Kaya hindi kami nag-uusap hanggang ngayon. Hindi tama ‘yung ganoong klaseng asal (That’s why we are not talking until now. That’s not the right attitude),” Remulla had said.
Defending Remulla's stance, Vasquez said: "Normal naman ho ‘yun kasi ang pakiramdam ng ating mahal na kalihim ay meron na kasi silang information even before na nakawala na daw ‘yung tatlong pugante, si Alice, si Shiela at tsaka si Wesley pero hindi kami napagsabihan at may isang panahon na para bang iba-iba ang salita ng pareparehas na representative or spokesperson ng ating kagawaran (it’s normal for Remulla to say that because he felt the BI had information that Guo and her siblings Shiela and Wesley fled the Philippines but we were not informed and the BI spokesperson made different statements).”
Earlier, BI Spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval revealed during an interview on PTV that Commissioner Tansingco received information on Aug. 15 that Guo already left the Philippines but decided to verify it until the news broke out about the escape on Aug. 19.