BI reports 'sharp rise' in PH foreign fugitive arrests
According to the BI, immigration personnel nabbed a total of 268 foreign fugitives from January to June, up from the 69 arrests during the same period last year.
"The Philippines will not be a hiding place for fugitives. We are determined to flush them out and send them back to face justice," Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.
"Our continued cooperation with foreign governments and international law enforcement agencies will ensure that the Philippines remains a secure nation from these fugitives," he said.
Among those arrested was Lee Jihwan, a Korean who was nabbed arrested in January in Talisay City, Cebu for violent robbery in South Korea.
Another Korean, Chu Hoyong, was collared in February for defrauding victims of KRW 2.26 billion using fake real estate collateral. He is considered a high-value target by Korean authorities and is allegedly linked to telecom fraud operations in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, four Japanese believed to be members of the "Luffy" syndicate, were arrested between January and April. They are wanted in their home country for theft, allegedly impersonating police officers to gain entry into homes and carry out robberies.
In May, seven more Japanese connected with the "JP Dragon" syndicate were apprehended for similar crimes. The group is known for targeting elderly victims by posing as authorities and stealing their automated teller machine (ATM) cards and banking details. Their alleged leader, Ryuji Yoshioka, was apprehended in Angeles City, Pampanga last June.
The arrested individuals will undergo deportation proceedings and are to be expelled from the country for being undesirable aliens.
Last week, the BI said it deported more than 1,400 foreigners during the first six months of 2025 for violating the country's immigration laws. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
BI reports 'sharp rise' in PH foreign fugitive arrests
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported Monday a "sharp rise" in the number of foreign fugitive arrests in the Philippines during the first half of 2025. According to the BI, immigration personnel nabbed a total of 268 foreign fugitives from January to June, up from the 69 arrests during the same period last year. "The Philippines will not be a hiding place for fugitives. We are determined to flush them out and send them back to face justice," Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said. "Our continued cooperation with foreign governments and international law enforcement agencies will ensure that the Philippines remains a secure nation from these fugitives," he said. Among those arrested was Lee Jihwan, a Korean who was nabbed arrested in January in Talisay City, Cebu for violent robbery in South Korea. Another Korean, Chu Hoyong, was collared in February for defrauding victims of KRW 2.26 billion using fake real estate collateral. He is considered a high-value target by Korean authorities and is allegedly linked to telecom fraud operations in the Philippines. Meanwhile, four Japanese believed to be members of the "Luffy" syndicate, were arrested between January and April. They are wanted in their home country for theft, allegedly impersonating police officers to gain entry into homes and carry out robberies. In May, seven more Japanese connected with the "JP Dragon" syndicate were apprehended for similar crimes. The group is known for targeting elderly victims by posing as authorities and stealing their automated teller machine (ATM) cards and banking details. Their alleged leader, Ryuji Yoshioka, was apprehended in Angeles City, Pampanga last June. The arrested individuals will undergo deportation proceedings and are to be expelled from the country for being undesirable aliens. Last week, the BI said it deported more than 1,400 foreigners during the first six months of 2025 for violating the country's immigration laws. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
4 days ago
- GMA Network
1,422 foreigners deported from Jan-June for immigration violations
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Friday it deported more than 1,400 foreigners from January to June this year for violating the country's immigration laws. Data from the BI showed a total of 1,422 foreigners were expelled from the country for violating immigration laws—a significant increase from the 717 deportees reported during the same period last year. Of the deportees, 231 were Vietnamese, 41 were South Koreans, 41 were Malaysians, and 37 were Burmese. The majority of the deportees were foreigners found to be working in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) firms despite the ban. 'Our strengthened deportation protocols follow the directive of the President to act swiftly and remove foreigners who abuse our people's hospitality,' said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado. 'We will continue expediting the deportation of foreign nationals who violate our laws,' he added. Viado earlier reported improvements in deportation protocols, including fast-tracking clearances in partnership with the National Bureau of Investigation, immediate resolution of cases suspected to be filed under the ''demanda me'' scheme, regular coordination with embassies for swift issuance of travel documents, and opening of a new holding facility for arrested aliens. 2 Sudanese nabbed Meanwhile, immigration authorities apprehended two Sudanese in San Carlos City, Pangasinan, for violating the country's immigration measures. Identified as Moneeb Ahmed Mohamed Yousif, 32, and Zaki Azhari Elzubair Basheer, 41, the suspects were arrested in a residence along M. Soriano St. on Tuesday, July 22. They are now detained at the BI detention facility in Taguig while awaiting deportation proceedings. An initial investigation showed the BI intelligence personnel launched an operation against Moneed after he was found to be staying in the country despite allegedly failing to update his visa. Zaki, meanwhile, was accused of harboring the illegal alien, violating the Philippine immigration laws. The suspects failed to present valid passports or travel documents during the arrest, rendering them undocumented foreign nationals. ''During the arrest, Basheer resisted and hurled expletives at the operatives. While in the premises of the San Carlos City Police Station, he requested to use the restroom but attempted to escape through the back of the building. He was immediately pursued and recaptured by BI agents,'' the BI said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
16-07-2025
- GMA Network
3 bodies exhumed in search of missing sabungeros —Remulla
Authorities are now digging up at least three bodies in Batangas who may be connected to e-sabong or the drug war amid the ongoing search for the missing sabungeros, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Wednesday. Remulla said authorities are looking into locations that may have been used not only for e-sabong but also the drug war. 'There were some victims found in 2020 that were just buried by the police because nobody claimed them in the punerarya (funeral parlor). We're exhuming them now as we speak because we have to find out who these people are,' he said in an ambush interview. 'We're setting up the DNA bank that we need to set up precisely because of those people who are missing. 'Yung mga disappearances ng mga tao dapat ma-solve 'yan,' he added. Meanwhile, Remulla said authorities are looking into locations that may have been used not only for e-sabong but also the drug war. Asked if this means authorities are now investigating drug war killings, Remulla said their focus remains on the missing sabungeros. However, he said that authorities have no choice but to include everything due to a supposed intersection in the two cases. Remulla previously said that some people who may be involved in drug war killings may also be involved in the deaths related to e-sabong. 'Yung ano eh, yung actors eh, yung mga taong involved sa what we call enforced disappearances. parang nagkaka— nagkatugma na isang grupo ginamit pareho. They were part of the drug war and they were part of the disposition dito sa e-sabong,' he said. (The thing is, the actors, the people involved in what we call enforced disappearances, it seems like— it matches that one group was used for both. They were part of the drug war and they were part of the disposition here in e-sabong.) However, Remulla declined to comment on Vice President Sara Duterte's statement that former President Rodrigo Duterte found the alleged link between the drug war and the missing sabungeros preposterous. 'I have no comment on that. I have no response to that,' he said. Last week, authorities started searching Taal Lake for the remains of the missing sabungeros. This came after whistleblower Julie 'Dondon' Patidongan claimed that more than 100 sabungeros were abducted, killed, and then dumped at Taal Lake. Earlier, members of the Japanese Embassy visited the Department of Justice. Remulla said they relayed the Philippine government's request for equipment and assistance with the DNA analysis. 'Although we have a very competent crime lab, a police crime lab, and an NBI crime lab capable of looking at DNA, we're looking at the best possible persons who can help us also. Kasi, this is not an easy task. We need all the help we can get,' he said. He said that the request is being processed. On Tuesday, the Philippine National Police said authorities recovered what may be a human hip bone with a length of eight inches among the more than 90 bone fragments retrieved. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
