DOJ: BI ‘escort services’ returning

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice is investigating the possible resurgence of “escort services” offered by immigration officers at airports, DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday.

The scheme involves Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers facilitating the entry and exit of visitors despite problems with their travel documents.

Remulla issued the statement after a 31-year-old Filipina who posed as a DOJ employee was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after she was caught using a counterfeit travel authority.

The Filipina, who was recruited to work as an entertainer in the United Arab Emirates, told probers she paid over P500,000 for her forged travel documents.

Remulla said the new scheme is similar to the multibillion-peso “pastillas” escort racket wherein foreigners who wanted to work for Philippine offshore gaming operators traveled as tourists and paid a “service fee” for a smooth entry into the country.

Remulla said the escort services may be just “as big as the pastillas scheme.”

“This problem should have been long gone, but it seems that it is resurfacing,” he said.