Clark airport extortion by BI men
probed
By Tonette Orejas
Central Luzon Desk
First Posted 10:32pm
(Mla time) 05/08/2007
Filed Under:
Regional authorities
CLARK
FREEPORT—A number of immigration personnel at
the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport
here may be preying on Filipino travelers,
extorting P4,000-P6,000 each from those they
suspect to be illegally leaving for jobs in
Macau or Hong Kong.
Victor Jose
Luciano, president and chief executive officer
of Clark International Airport Corp. that
manages the DMIA, confirmed receiving complaints
about the supposed racket that reportedly began
in 2006 when budget flights became regular.
“There is
currently an investigation,” he said, declining
to give details.
A reader,
writing by e-mail, told the Inquirer about the
supposed racket after he met several victims
while waiting at the Macau airport last month on
his way to Clark.
“A woman told
me about her harrowing experience of having to
pay immigration officials at the DMIA to allow
her two relatives to board a flight going to
Macau. They have valid Philippine passports and
plane tickets,” the source said.
“It turned out
that this was the third time she had this
experience. (They were) forced to pay
immigration personnel P4,000 to P6,000 (each) so
they could be allowed to get out of the
country,” he added.
Jess Bunag,
Bureau of Immigration chief in Clark, said a
recent investigation done by his office showed
that his personnel were “not involved in any
irregularities.”
Some members
of the airport police were behind the extortion
racket, he said. “In fact, some (airport
policemen) have been reassigned,” he said in a
phone interview.
“It is
unfortunate that the bureau’s personnel are
being blamed,” Bunag said. The bureau has only
four staff members at the DMIA, working on
straight shifts from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily, he
said.
“They hardly
leave their stations,” he said.
Luciano said
the reassignment of DMIA security personnel was
a regular activity and added that the
investigation covered them as well.
“We are
exerting all efforts to stop the scheme. Our
Filipino compatriots should be treated fairly,”
he said.
“The reason
I’ve decided to spread this e-mail is to help
our poor overseas Filipino workers, supposedly
the unsung heroes of our ailing economy, and
hopefully to put a stop to this shameful act …
We undergo great personal sacrifices by going
abroad not knowing what fate awaits us in a
foreign land. Pagkatapos dagdag pahirap pa ang
haharapin natin sa mga corrupt na empleyado ng
ating pamahalaan,” the source said.
