President Marcos sacked Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco in apparent fulfillment of his promise to punish corrupt or negligent government officials involved in the short-lived escape of disgraced ex-mayor Alice Guo.
Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cesar Chavez initially confirmed Tansingco’s dismissal through a message sent to journalists but did not elaborate on the details.
“We will leave it up to the Department of Justice to explain… but it has something to do with the departure of Alice Guo. This is also part of the commitment of the President that ‘heads will roll’ because of that issue,” he later told reporters in an ambush interview.
The broader BI organization is also under scrutiny after Mr. Marcos vowed that there would be consequences for government personnel complicit in Guo’s clandestine departure.
“We will expose the culprits who have betrayed the people’s trust and aided in her flight. A full-scale investigation is already underway, and those responsible will be suspended and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” the President said in an earlier interview.
As this developed, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla chastised the government agents who escorted Guo back to Manila from Jakarta, saying the “selfies” they took with her were done in bad taste.
The DOJ chief said he is “not satisfied with the explanation” of BI and National Bureau of Investigation personnel on the impromptu photo op with their prisoner.
“They need to apologize… a big apology is needed there. And there really needs to be a reprimand,” he said in Filipino.
“That simply cannot be. People who are ‘wanted’ should not be celebrated. When you catch them, you should treat them as such. Enough of these ‘selfies!’ Let’s change that culture… that shouldn’t happen,” Remulla added.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Tansingco fired as BI chief.”
