Immigration acts to enforce Corona, Singson foreign travel ban

Former Ilocos Sur Governors Luis “Chavit” Singson INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Bureau of Immigration chief Siegfred Mison ordered all immigration officers on Friday to immediately implement the hold departure orders  issued against former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona and former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson.

Pursuant to the Sandiganbayan orders against Corona and Singson, Mison ordered all duty officers and supervisors at international airports and seaports to immediately implement and prevent the subjects from leaving the country.

In both orders, the anti-graft court directed the Bureau of Immigration  to hold the departure from the Philippines of the accused “which is necessary to preserve and maintain the effectiveness of its jurisdiction over the cases and the persons of the accused at all times amenable to its writs and processes.”

Mison said people prohibited by the courts from leaving the country would be prevented from doing so.

The Sandiganbayan orders were in relation to perjury charges against Corona graft and corruption charges against Singson.

Corona is facing eight counts of perjury and another eight counts of violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for his alleged undeclared assets.

Singson has three graft cases filed against him by the Office of the Ombudsman  for questionable use of P26 million in public funds in 2001.

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