MANILA, Philippines — Lee O'Brian, ex-partner of host-comedienne Pokwang, has reportedly filed a counter affidavit in response to the latter's deportation case and visa cancellation filed earlier this month.
In filing the counter affidavit, O'Brian said he had "respect for the mother of my child" — the ex-couple have a five-year-old named Malia, whose interests he claims to prioritize in the ongoing issue — and called it a a quasi-judicial issue that he can't comment on further.
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The legal counsel for Pokwang, whose real name is Marietta Subong, Atty. Rafael Vincente Calinisan, maintained that O'Brian should still be deported from the country.
For her part, Pokwang seemed annoyed at her ex-partner's recent actions, this after she shared several photos of past achievements on her Instagram account.
One user appeared to comment about O'Brian's claim that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) will see his side despite Pokwang's fame, to which she responded, "Kapal ng mukha diba?? Pinangungunahan ang batas natin?" and agreed that as an overstaying illegal worker he should be deported.
In another comment apparently asking for her reaction to O'Brian filing the counter affidavit, Pokwang simply replied with a number of laughing emojis.
Pokwang filed the deportation case and request for visa cancellation last June 13 at the BI office in Manila with Calinisan, who also claimed that O'Brian has no working permits in the Philippines.
The comedienne further claimed that O'Brian has been using a tourist visa despite still being in the country for eight years now.
"Undesirable aliens have no place in this country. With this case we are pursuing, we are putting a stop to the gross manipulation of the Philippine Immigration laws and the acts of abuse against our client," Calisan said in a statement. "The Philippines must be a safe place for everyone, especially us Filipinos."
Pokwang and Lee O'Brian got into a relationship in 2015, had Malia in early 2018, then separated in late 2021 with Pokwang having custody over their daughter. Pokwang later admitted it was not an entirely amicable split.
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