88 deported Pinoys arriving from US

Eighty-eight Filipinos convicted of various offenses by American courts are expected to land today at 11 a.m. at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark Field after having been deported from the United States.

Lawyer Ricardo Diaz, National Bureau of Investigation-Interpol chief, said he was handed a list of the deported Filipinos by the US Department of Homeland Security yesterday morning.

Diaz said most of the deportees had served prison terms after being convicted of possession of illegal drugs and deadly weapons, and various sex offenses.

"There will be a committee waiting for them to process their papers," he said.

"Apart from the NBI, there will be representatives from the Department of Labor and Employment, Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Customs and the Department of Foreign Affairs."

A "significant number" of the 88 Filipinos have committed "non-criminal acts" and violations of US immigration law, he added.

Diaz said records show that most of the deportees had been convicted five years ago, and that they are now being sent home because they might have appealed their cases to a higher court.

About 400 Filipinos have been deported from the US since 2002, he added. — Evelyn Macairan