Erring aliens told: Shape up or else

Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Sunday issued a stern warning to aliens engaging in illicit activities that “extreme” legal consequences await them should they be caught red-handed.

Remulla issued the warning after authorities raided another illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), together with the Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement bodies.

The DoJ chief urged the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to be on top of the case, file charges if warranted, and immediately deport those proven to have violated immigration laws.

He also exhorted “witnesses to boldly come forward and testify so that efforts would not go to waste.”

To recall, the raided POGO hub identified as the Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Incorporated was said to have occupied the biggest facility in Pampanga and reportedly is engaged in prostitution, human trafficking, scams and other unlawful activities.

On 5 June, two Chinese people were rescued during the actual operation of law enforcement units while 157 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, were rounded up the day prior to the actual raid who were allegedly caught trying to escape.