MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday said he will order the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a separate investigation into the illegal clinic in Clark, Pampanga, that exclusively helps Chinese citizens suspected of having COVID-19.
The Justice Chief issued the order following reports that the two arrested Chinese managed to walk free due to missing documents that delayed the filing of cases.
“These two foreign nationals should have been brought to the inquest prosecutor instead of being released. If this is true, I will ask the NBI to step in and do its own investigation and instruct the BI (Bureau of Immigration) to look out for them,” Guevarra told reporters.
Reports citing the police identified the two suspects as Hu Ling, alleged supervisor of the clinic, and Lee Seung Hyun, alleged pharmacist of the facility.
But the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group allegedly gave a different name to the BI – Hu Shiling, female, 43; and Liu Wei, male, 43, who allegedly operated inside one of the villas and converted it into a clinic.
Guevarra said he already asked the BI to verify the identities.
The two were arrested in a police operation last May 19 at the Fontana Villa No. 628 on suspicion that it has been operating as an underground clinic for Chinese patients with COVID-19.
RELATED STORY
2 Chinese in unlicensed Clark COVID-19 hospital walk free