Palace wants Castro out from Bureau of Immigration

CEBU, Philippines – Malacañang has finally intervened and asked for the immediate recall of controversial assistant Cebu City prosecutor Mary Ann Castro from the Bureau of Immigration where she has been detailed since 2005.

Acting Executive Secretary Cerge Remonde, in a letter to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, also asked that appropriate disciplinary action be taken against Castro who has been accused of irregularities.

Castro was earlier charged with extortion and harassment before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas by Bureau of Immigration regional director Casimiro Madarang III and Fernando San Ramon Jr., president of the Cebu Immigration Officers Association Inc.

Remonde, in his letter dated April 27, said that this and other documents containing Castro’s alleged irregularities reached him personally. Gonzalez reportedly assured Remonde to take immediate action.

Castro refused to comment on the Malacañang’s intervention and referred this reporter instead to her lawyer Joey Luis Wee. The Freeman tried calling Wee thru the number provided by Castro but he was out of reach.

Castro also hinted at filing a libel case against Remonde.

Remonde’s action stemmed from Madarang’s request for the palace intervention to get rid of Castro from the immigration office. Madarang asked Remonde being a Cebuano and the designated Cabinet Official for Regional Development in Central Visayas to facilitate the immediate recall of Castro and the imposition of appropriate disciplinary action against her.

In the complaint he earlier filed before the anti-graft office, Madarang accused Castro of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

He claimed that Castro is demanding overtime pay from the airport even if she is not entitled to this. Castro was also accused of dropping the names of Gonzales and even President Gloria Arroyo to get what she wanted.

Castro was allegedly “extorting money from foreigners as acceptance fee and extorting immigration officers of their allowances and pay under her usual threat of complaints and litigations,” an earlier complaint said.

Madarang said that Castro’s continued presence in the BI-Cebu has been “divisive, disruptive and demoralizing, resulting in a petition by BI employees for her recall.”

“We fear, Sir, that Castro’s continued stay at the Bureau, despite the cases and issues raised against her, negate whatever gains we made in cleaning up the Bureau, improving its image, and fighting corruption,” Madarang’s letter to Remonde read.

Madarang said they have already tried bringing the issue before Gonzalez’ attention but it was allegedly discarded as a mere “turf war”.

Madarang also said that Castro has “earned unsurpassed notoriety in her class” citing the non-implementation of the 2005 preventive suspension of Castro in relation to a drug case she handled in 2002. Madarang said the order was not implemented by the DOJ until now.

Recently the anti-graft office also ordered the filing of a criminal case for perjury against Castro in connection with her filing of two petitions for the annulment of her marriage. – Fred P. Languido/BRP (THE FREEMAN)