Karen Gandarma, BIClark chief, said some 600 other Chinese nationals also found working at the allegedly illegal gambling center at Fontana were found to have legitimate visas.
Pres. Duterte had earlier ordered the arrest of their boss, Chinese national Jack Lam, owner of Fontana, for alleged bribery and economic sabotage. He was reported to have fl ed to Macau before he could be arrested.
The Chinese nationals, numbering about 1,300, were arrested as employees of Lam’s illegal online gambling operations, and were held at the Fontana Convention Center where they have stayed on despite posting bail for lack of other living options, Gandarma said in an interview.
About half of the Chinese who were undocumented paid about P50,000 each to the BI’s legal department.
“They have to stay on until they are cleared,” Gandarma said.
She said those who had proper documents are facing cancellation of their working visas because their employment has ceased with the closure of Fontana, as ordered by the stateowned Clark Development Corp. (CDC).
Gandarma said her office here never dealt with Lam and had nothing to do with the Fontana controversy. “What I know is that Lam is known to deal only with higher authorities,” she added.
BI deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Mike Robles went on leave the other day after they were implicated in the alleged P50-million extortion on online gaming of Lam reportedly for the release of Chinese workers.
Gandarma expressed surprise over this development, as she cited reports that the undocumented Chinese posted bail.
“The only role of my office here is to provide space for the central office’s Alien Registration Division (ARD) for the biometrics processing of the Chinese applying for bail,” she said.
Gandarma explained that all aliens slated for employment in this freeport first pass through the CDC and the Department of Labor and Employment before being approved by her office.
Argosino and Robles both submitted to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II their letter signifying a 30-day leave of absence to pave the way for their investigation.
“We hope that (this) will allow your office or that of your authorized representatives the free hand to conduct any investigation against us that you may deem fit,” the two said in their joint letter.
Argosino and Robles are reportedly President Duterte’s brothers in Lex Taleonis fraternity.
They allegedly extorted P50 million from Lam which was supposed to facilitate the release of 600 out of 1,316 illegal Chinese employees of Fontana, reports added.
Aguirre on Sunday said he has directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a probe of the allegations that the Chinese nationals were able to work without visas and permits from the BI in return for a hefty sum of money.
Both the NBI and BI are under the Department of Justice.
Morente gave Argosino and Robles 24 hours to explain after they were linked to the alleged P50-million extortion.
In a statement, Morente directed BI Intelligence Division chief Charles Calima Jr. to also give an explanation regarding the issue.
The two BI officials allegedly received the bribe from retired police official Wally Sombero in exchange for the release of 600 of the Chinese nationals who did not have employment visas.
Sombero is now in the custody of the NBI.
Over the weekend, Aguirre ordered the NBI to probe the alleged payoff s in the BI.
NBI sources said Sombero has confirmed that Robles and Argosino are the officials who extorted P50 million and demanded more from Lam.
Sombero executed his sworn statement after the NBI allowed his request for protective custody on Dec. 8. He stayed in the bureau until he and his lawyer finished his affidavit.
On Dec. 7, the DOJ ordered the NBI, through lawyer Vicente de Guzman III, to probe the alleged extortion involving officials and personnel of the BI, DOJ-Office of Cybercrime and the Philippine National Police.
The agencies worked on closing Lam’s Jimei Group casino at the Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino in Clark Freeport, Pampanga and on the arrest of over 1,300 Chinese illegal immigrants who worked in Lam’s casino, both in late November.
