Ombudsman indicts 43 immigration personnel over 'pastillas' bribery
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 2:48 p.m.) — The Office of the Ombudsman has indicted dozens of Bureau of Immigration officials and staff over the "pastillas" bribery scheme, where foreigners were allegedly whisked past airport counters in exchange for money.
The scam was the subject of hearings at the Senate, which looked into whether it had been used for sex trafficking and for letting Philippine Offshore Gambling Operations workers into the Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte summoned the immigration officials to Malacañang for a dressing down and incorrectly claimed at his last State of the Nation Address in July 2021 that they had already been fired.
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The Ombudsman said that the bribery scheme "allowed the entry of foreign passengers into the country without going through regular and stringent profiling or screening processes in violation of existing immigration rules and procedures, to the prejudice of the government and public interest."
Among those who will be brought to court for alleged violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act are Marc Red Mariñas — a former deputy commissioner and former head of the Port Operations Division — and senior immigration officers Grifton Medina, Erwin Ortañez and Glenn Ford Comia. Mariñas resigned as POD chief in 2019 to run for public office.
Office of Ombudsman charges 43 Immigration officials and others linked to the “pastillas” scheme, where officers are accused of receiving grease money for seamless entry of Chinese nationals to the country. Bail is set at P90,000 each. | via @kristinepatag pic.twitter.com/OifRWJ7AC1
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) June 7, 2022
Bail for the 43 immigration officials and staff indicted has been recommended to be set at P90,000 each.
The Ombudsman said that the "pastillas" scam involved collecting P10,000 from 143 foreign passengers, particularly from Chinese nationals, to be let through the immigration checks at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The money was said to have been wrapped in paper, like the "pastillas" sweets.
Foreigners were referred to the immigration officers by "bosses or Chinese suppliers" who got the names from travel agencies, the Ombudsman also said.
The operations of the "pastillas" scheme, including client lists, were discussed in Viber groups that were also run by immigration personnel.
The scam was done with the help of Chinese interpeters, who received a share of the grease money, and of Empire International Travel and Tours, which provided the client list to the immigration officers and staff.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters on Tuesday that separate administrative proceedings are still pending but will be resolved soon. He said the respondents in the administrative complaint "is not the same set of respondents in the criminal complaint, which was submitted by the [National Bureau of Investigation] to the [Office of the Ombudsman]."
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