MANILA, (PNA) — Six out of the 35 people placed in the Bureau of Immigration (BI) lookout list have already left the country.
Ma. Angelica Pedro, BI spokesperson disclosed that former Congressman Rodolfo Plaza (Agusan del Sur), Dennis Cunanan, Jessica Lucila Reyes, Ruby Tuazon, Antonio Ortiz and Nemesio Pablo, Jr. are no longer in the Philippines.
Based on BI records, Plaza, Cunanan, Director General, Technology Resource Center (TRC) and Ortiz, former Director General of TRC, left this month while Reyes, former chief of staff of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Tuazon, the conduit of the offices of Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada exited the country in August.
She added that Pablo of AEPFFI, one of the non-government organizations (NGOs) of Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the P10 billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) fund scam.
However, the BI official did not disclose the destinations of the said individuals.
Together with the lawmakers and Napoles, the said individuals and several others were included in the charge sheet filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the fund scam.
On Wednesday, the bureau has issued BI issued Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) against 35 individuals allegedly involved in the controversy.
BI Officer-in-Charge Siegfred Mison explained that Enrile, Estrada and Revilla were not included in the lookout list out of courtesy towards members of a co-equal branch of government.
The lookout bulletin directs immigration officers that if any of the respondents attempt to leave the country via any of the international airports and seaports, the information should be immediately relayed to the Office of the Secretary of Justice and the Office of the Prosecutor General.