3 ex-Immigration execs face raps over terrorist's escape

MANILA, Philippines - Three former officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) are now facing graft charges for allowing suspected international terrorist Vo Van Duc to leave the country in 2005.

 

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the indictment of former BI commissioners  Teodoro Delarmente, Roy Almoro and Jose Cabochan over irregularities in the issuance of medical passes and Summary Deportation Order (SDO) to the suspected terrorist convicted of illegal manufacture and possession of explosives.

 

The Ombudsman also ordered the filing of evasion through negligence charges against former acting chief of the Philippine National Police-Civil Security Unit Wendy Rosario, former BI chief of staff Alejandro Fernandez, former acting warden Noel Espinosa, former legal aide Richard Perez, former security escort Francis Agana and former confidential agent Joselito Pagaduan.

 

Investigation revealed that Delarmente, Rosario, Espinosa and Agana were responsible for the issuance of medical passes on several dates in 2005 to Van Duc despite the absence of the required recommendation of the BI physician, allowing him to enjoy temporary liberty for three weeks.

 

"Apparently, the medical passes issued by Delarmente had no basis but the 'request' made by Van Duc himself. Further, the medical passes made it possible for Van Duc to leave the BI Detention Center and enjoy the comforts of staying in an apartelle," the resolution read. 

            

Meanwhile, Delarmente, Almoro, Cabochan, Fernandez and Perez were found to have violated the rules in summary deportation proceedings.

 

Investigators said the SDO was issued based on an outdated four-year old charge sheet and without the conduct of any semblance of a hearing by the commissioners, which facilitated Van Duc's escape from the country.

 

"SDO was flawed from its very inception, as it did not go through the proper procedure under the BI rules. At the outset, records do not disclose any memorandum from the special prosecutor recommending summary proceeding. Secondly, the SDO was not prepared by the Board of Special Inquiry but by respondent Perez, allegedly upon the orders of respondent Fernandez," the resolution said.