Palace backs deportation of illegal Chinese workers in PH

MANILA, Philippines — Malacanang on Friday said Chinese workers who illegally enter the Philippines would be sent back home, following the discovery of the so-called “pastillas” bribery scheme involving airport and immigration personnel.

“Basta ‘yung mga iligal pababalikin natin sa pinanggalingan nila,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters in Malacañang.

The modus was discovered after Senator Risa Hontiveros, during a Senate hearing earlier this week, bared that Chinese nationals wanting to work in Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) shell out a P10,000 “escort” fee to airport and immigration officers in exchange for a seamless entry into the country.

The scheme was called “pastillas” supposedly because the bribe money would be rolled in a bond paper like the wrapping of the Filipino milk candy.

According to Hontiveros, the racket could very well reach up to P10 billion.

The Senator also presented immigration officer Allison “Alex” Chiong who detailed the racket before the hearing and identified Bureau of Immigration (BI) involved.

The BI has placed on floating status 19 personnel mentioned in the Senate hearing, hours after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the relief of all officials and employees of the BI allegedly involved in the scheme.

Aside from the bribery scheme, Pogo workers hogged the headlines lately due to tax delinquency and prostitution rings.

Edited by EDV