Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Senate to launch an in-depth investigation into the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after three high-profile foreign nationals, all linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), managed to flee the country despite being under strict government surveillance.
“This is probably one of the rare instances where we will be working with the Chinese Embassy and, of course, the Chinese Government,” he said.
Gatchalian expressed outrage over the escape, emphasizing that this incident highlights glaring lapses in the country’s immigration system and raises serious concerns about possible corruption within the BI.
According to reports, the fugitives were wanted for various criminal activities, including human trafficking and financial fraud, and should have been under close monitoring by authorities to prevent them from leaving the country.
The three POGO bosses who managed to flee the country—Lyu Xun, Kong Xiangrui, and Wang Shangle—boarded an AirAsia flight with a layover in Hong Kong before continuing to mainland China.
However, instead of taking direct flights, they were able to secure tickets with layovers, allowing them to slip away during transit.
The senator questioned how these individuals were able to book flights, pass through immigration checkpoints, and exit the Philippines without being detected, despite the serious charges they were facing.
He described the situation as “highly suspicious” and pointed out that the BI has failed in its duty to protect national security by allowing these fugitives to escape right under their noses.
“Actually, that is incompetence on our part because these POGO bosses have money and connections. I’m sure they know exactly how to maneuver the system,” he said.
“We have already proven this with Alice Guo’s escape, she was able to move from one place to another, and she had people helping her along the way,” Gatchalian added.
To ensure accountability, the senator has filed a resolution seeking a full-blown Senate inquiry that will examine how these criminals managed to escape and what actions must be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
“In the first place, we should never have allowed them to buy their own tickets. We should have ensured that the Chinese counterparts were properly informed and that they would be detained upon arrival,” he concluded.
The issue was brought to light after a recent joint committee hearing in the Senate, where Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros grilled immigration officials over their botched deportation process of the three POGO bosses.
They were supposed to have been sent back to China, where they were wanted by authorities as well, but have reportedly landed in Hong Kong, prompting Hontiveros to call for a review of the BI’s deportation policy.