Judge bars departure of Chinese caught with guns
MANILA—The Chinese national caught with a cache of firearms, explosives and illegal drugs at a Pasay City casino complex last month has been barred from leaving the country.
Pasay Regional Trial Court Branch 110 Judge Petronillo Sulla Jr. has issued a hold departure order against Jerry Sy in connection with the drug charges filed against the foreigner.
Sy was arrested at the basement parking area of Maxim Hotel at Resorts World Manila on Dec. 26, after figuring in a scuffle with Ringsons International Office casino agent Joseph Ang and the latter’s bodyguard, Arturo Gatmaitan, a retired policeman
The police said two 9-mm magazines fell from him as he fled, and this led police to search his car, which yielded assorted weapons, including hand grenades and pistols with silencers, and 1.7 grams of shabu.
Aside from the illegal drugs complaints, Pasay police had also filed complaints of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against Sy. Ang and Gatmaitan had initially filed complaints of attempted murder against Sy, but soon recanted their complaints. Investigators earlier said Sy owed Ang P2.1 million.
The illegal drugs complaint reached Sulla’s court on Jan. 7, but because the subject contraband was less than five grams, Sy was allowed to post a total of P240,000 bail on the same day, and was granted “provisional liberty.”
The next day, Pasay prosecutor Janette Herras-Baggas filed a motion for a hold departure order against Sy, which was granted by Sulla within the day.
“The Bureau of Immigration is directed to hold the departure of accused Jerry Sy y Sago from all exit points of the Philippines until further order from this court,” Sulla said in his order, adding that copies should also be furnished to the Foreign Affairs and Justice Departments.
Sy remains in a detention center for foreigners at Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, after Pasay police turned him over to the Bureau of Immigration.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 4.
Earlier, the police had decried the Jan. 6 resolution made by Pasay assistant prosecutor Josefina Muego, who inquested Sy for the illegal possession of firearms and explosives complaints.
Muego ordered Sy’s temporary release from police custody after she deemed his arrest “questionable” and referred the complaints for preliminary investigation.
Despite this, the complaints against Sy are increasing. Pasay police chief Senior Supt. Florencio Ortilla said his office had filed last week another complaint against Sy, accusing him of concealing his true name and identity.
Southern metro police district director Chief Supt. Jose Erwin Villacorte pointed out that while Sy’s driver’s license listed him as a Chinese national, Sy had no passport, and no records with the BI.
“He had no records of when he entered the country or how. He had no alien certificate registration. He’s an undocumented alien,” Villacorte said.
The address Sy listed on his driver’s license was fictitious. Sy also had a Social Security System ID, but could not say where he was employed.
Sy’s car was registered to a nonexistent “Sharon Sy,” with a fictitious address. The firearms recovered from him had defaced serial numbers, though one was found to be registered to a “Rony Tan” from Pampanga, who also turned out to be nonexistent, Villacorte said.
“We don’t know if [Jerry Sy] is even his real name,” Villacorte noted.
