DOJ puts Aquino, et al. on travel lookout bulletin

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has barred former President Benigno Aquino III, three former members of his Cabinet and five officials of a French pharmaceutical company from leaving the Philippines without his consent.

The order is the administration’s latest move in the P3.5-billion Dengvaxia controversy.

Aguirre signed the immigration lookout bulletin order (Ilbo) against Aquino and the others on Saturday night, according to Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes.

Besides Aquino, also named in the order were former Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, former Health Secretary Janette Garin and Sanofi Pasteur executives Guillaume Leroy, Olivier Brandicourt, Ruby Dizon, Thomas Triomphe and Carlito Realuyo.

In his order, Aguirre cited the graft case brought against Aquino and the others in the Office of the Ombudsman by militant women’s group Gabriela and parents of children inoculated with the dengue vaccine, which was developed and manufactured by Sanofi.

The Department of Health halted a P3.5-billion immunization program on Dec. 1 after Sanofi announced that Dengvaxia could worsen symptoms in vaccinated people who had no previous exposure to the dengue virus.

The immunization program was launched toward the end of the Aquino administration. More than 830,000 schoolchildren had received the vaccine.

“Considering the gravity of the possible offenses which may have been committed, there is a strong probability that they may attempt to place themselves beyond the reach of the legal processes of the government by leaving the country,” Aguirre said.

“We thus deem the issuance of an Ilbo against the subject persons prudent in order to at least monitor the itineraries of their flight, travel and/or whereabouts,” he added.

While it is different from a hold-departure order, an Ilbo has a similar effect of a court-issued travel ban since people placed under it should first seek clearance from the Department of Justice before they can travel abroad.

Aguirre also instructed Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to closely coordinate with the National Bureau of Investigation to “obtain” the latest addresses, copies of passports, pictures and other personal information of Aquino and others listed in the order.

He also directed the NBI and the Bureau of Immigration to contact other relevant government agencies and airline companies to check if Aquino and the others were planning to leave the country.