DOJ probes NAIA ‘escort services’ for Chinese illegals

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered an investigation on the reported “escort services” by alleged immigration personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for illegal Chinese workers entering the country.

Guevarra said he has directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to probe this modus at the airport where Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) allegedly spend P10,000 for the entry of every Chinese hire.

“I directed the NBI to conduct a fact-finding probe on these escort facilitation services for a fee in the airport and file charges against those who have committed illegal acts, if warranted,” he told The STAR yesterday.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) chief explained that his directive expanded the NBI’s ongoing probe on the human trafficking operations at NAIA.

“There is an ongoing investigation by the NBI of human trafficking syndicates operating in our terminals, so I directed the NBI to expand that probe to include this escort servicing scheme,” he further bared.

Guevarra issued the order following reports that some POGOs resort to “escort services” of some Bureau of Immigration (BI) employees to facilitate entry of their Chinese hires who hold tourist visas but would actually work for online gaming companies.

The Chinese recruits were reportedly instructed to meet the “escorts” upon arrival at the airport who will then assist them – either personally or via text messaging or phone calls – in immigration procedures at the counters with no questions asked.

POGOs with no license to operate resort to this modus because they cannot apply for the work visas of their Chinese workers, who enter the country using two-year tourist visas, and would leave temporarily only to return and repeat the process.

The BI repeatedly claimed that it has been combating the illegal escort services at airports since previous administrations.

The government has taken stringent measures to regulate the influx of illegal Chinese workers in the country.

Concerned agencies forged last week the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC), which set and clarified rules for entry of foreign workers.

The JMC provides for the summary deportation of foreign workers who do not have the necessary work permits.

The agreement was signed by the heads of the DOJ, BI, Department of Labor and Employment, Professional Regulation Commission, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

Also last week, the DOF announced that the POGOs agreed to pay the government P2 billion a month in withholding taxes, or a whopping P24 billion a year starting this month, from the mostly Chinese workers they are bringing in to the country.

At present, there are roughly 130,000 Chinese POGO workers employed by around 50 licensed gaming firms that operate in the country.