MANILA – The 41 foreign nationals arrested in Bataan province recently appeared before the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for their reportorial obligation.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, in a news release Thursday, said the foreigners include 22 Malaysians, six Brazilians, six Bangladeshi nationals, two Chinese, two Vietnamese, one Pakistani, one Indonesian and one Thai.
All of them have appeared before the BI’s intelligence division on November 25, after their physical custody was temporarily transferred to Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia and their legal counsel under recognizance.
As a condition of the transfer of custody, all 41 foreigners were required to present themselves bi-monthly to the BI’s head office in Intramuros, Manila.
He added that the arrested aliens face deportation cases on grounds of undesirability.
In immigration parlance, bail via recognizance means that subjects are not released, but their physical custody is transferred to the individual providing legal guarantee during the course of the deportation case.
The 41 foreign nationals were among those arrested by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group at an alleged scam hub inside the Central One Bataan in Bagac town last October 31.
Out of the group, Handoyo Salman, 40, was deported last November 21 after being found to be a fugitive.
The cases of the 41 foreign nationals are ongoing. Once found liable, they will face deportation.
Viado said the aliens would not be able to flee the country to avoid facing their charges as their passports are with the BI and their names have been included in the BI’s hold departure list. (PNA)