Cases for violating the Philippine Immigration Act for posing risk to public interest were filed Wednesday against 25 foreign drug and cybercrime suspects arrested by the police on Boracay Island in Aklan province last Monday.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente said 18 Taiwanese and seven Chinese nationals were charged for being undesirable aliens and will undergo deportation proceedings.
READ: 25 Taiwanese, Chinese nabbed in Boracay for drugs, cybercrime
But Morente clarified that deportation will not be immediately implemented pending resolution of the criminal cases that were filed against them before the court.
“It is only after they have served their sentences, if convicted, that we will deport and include them in our blacklist to prevent them from re-entering our country,” the BI chief said.
Those charged were identified as Taiwanese nationals Lin Szu Wei, Hsiao Chun-Huang, Zeng Shao-Wei, Chang Chih-Chih, Fan Yu-Lung, Chen Jhih-Hong, Chou Yuan-Syun, Wu Pei-Yu, Weng Wei-Chieh, Yang Shuang-Chuan, Wu Shau-Wei, Lien Yu-Ting, Sun Chia-Hui, Wang Yung-Chun, Jhou Tian-You, Hong Gou-Siou, Chou Hsi-Ao, Lo Li-Yin and Chinese nationals Zhou HognHua, Zeng Hui, Han FengShuang, He Zonglong, Zhong Yuling, Wang Juan and Gong Chun.
BI-Kalibo acting alien control officer Thelma Adre reported that when interviewed, the arrested aliens said they have traveled to several countries in Africa and Asia before they proceeded to the Philippines.
Adre said the aliens’ last country of origin was Cambodia and that they all entered the country as tourists on a 59-day visa.
The arresting policemen earlier alleged that the aliens were involved in illegal drugs and cybercrime operations.
They said that the two-storey house rented by the suspects served as a distribution point for illegal drugs and a base for their online fraud operation that has victimized many of their compatriots in Taiwan and China. RAM