De Lima orders probe into Mike Arroyo departure records

MANILA, Philippines—Was Justice Secretary Leila de Lima misled about former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo’s departure records?

De Lima on Friday ordered an investigation into how Arroyo was able to leave the country without any records at the Bureau of Immigration.

“It appears that he did not pass through Immigration. Somebody facilitated the processing of his documents,” De Lima said in a text message.

De Lima told reporters in a separate interview that even the immigration chief, Ricardo David, was puzzled why Arroyo’s name did not appear on immigration records.

De Lima added she was informed Friday that a “Juan Miguel Arroyo” appeared on the database but that the last name was spelled with a single “R.”

Asked if she was possibly fed the wrong information, De Lima told the Inquirer by text: “I really don’t know. What they told me yesterday (Thursday) when I asked is BI does not have a record of his recent departure to Hong Kong or anywhere else.”

“The latest entry in the BI database was a departure on June 12, 2011 to Amsterdam via KLM from which trip he had already returned,” De Lima added.