The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of 45 personnel of the Bureau of Immigration who were allegedly involved in the so-called “pastillas” scheme.
Under the scheme, immigration officers allowed the illegal entry of foreign nationals at the airport without instituting the necessary checks, screening, or profiling, as is standard for arriving non-Filipinos.
The Ombudsman found the officials “administratively liable for grave misconduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.”
Those who have already been separated from public office prior to the decision will be fined equivalent to one year’s worth of salary, the Ombudsman said.
Earlier, the Department of Justice sacked 18 Immigration officers and employees for their involvement in the scheme.
Justice Assistant Secretary and spokesman Neil Bainto said the respondents were found to have facilitated and allowed the arrival and departure of Chinese nationals without undergoing appropriate immigration formalities “for a consideration”—in the form of peso bills rolled in paper to resemble “pastillas de leche,” a popular local milk-based candy.
Some Chinese nationals allegedly entered the Philippines as tourists, and later worked for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations hubs, paying immigration personnel around P10,000 each. The DOJ dismissal order covered, among others, BI overall head of Border Control Intelligence Unit Erwin Ortañez and Terminal Head-Travel Control and Enforcement Unit Glenn Ford Comia.