PHOTO BY JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) denied barring action star Robin Padilla from leaving the country for China on Monday because of a hold departure order.
The agency made the clarification after Padilla posted in his Instagram account that he was prohibited from going to China, as he was required to first secure a clearance before leaving the country.
Padilla said he was supposed to attend an event in Shandong province to celebrate the Sulu-China relations from September 12 to 15.
BI Spokesperson lawyer Maria Antonette Mangrobang said that all hold departure orders issued against Padilla have been lifted as of August 3, 1993 and July 25, 1995.
She also said that there was nothing on their records showing that the actor went through immigration procedure in the past seven days or that he was not allowed to depart.
“Negative po talaga sa records ng BI Port Operations Division that Robinhood Padilla went through immigration procedure in the last seven days nor do we have any record that he was not allowed to depart recently,” Mangrobang said in a text message.
Padilla said that after he was released from prison, he had no problem going in and out of the country. Ironically, he also said, he encountered such a problem after he was given an absolute pardon by President Rodrigo Duterte last year. /kga