The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday, Oct. 17, that it would support the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in tackling the &ldquo;Demanda Me&rdquo; scheme perpetuated by arrested foreign nationals to allegedly delay their deportation.
&ldquo;The DOJ affirms its commitment to safeguarding the nation's borders and ensuring that justice is not thwarted by such crafty maneuvers,&rdquo; DOJ&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DOJPHofficial/posts/pfbid02wQeRgkxggXSf8xA4k7ZwtHC7EWhG5mFoa6WFxPm9iWJfweEJotkJUHZQmYUchpV4l" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> read.&nbsp;
This was highlighted during the Public Hearing of the Committee on Finance when Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed the &ldquo;Demanda Me&rdquo; scheme to lawmakers, citing a case when a Japanese escapee was charged with Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) by his wife who yet visited him every day.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Obviously, the case is made up so as to delay his deportation [...] We thank Secretary Remulla for his support in pushing for the expeditious resolutions of such cases for us to be able to implement long-overdue deportations,&rdquo; BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/officialbureauofimmigration/posts/pfbid0qNQj4nnWzP5ZvXe2RMfDB9EqT7PPdQRqDTR8VmDsnw1ZUh5mVQZCvCAA3hgaLeV5l" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.&nbsp;
Tansingco explained that because foreign nationals cannot be deported following pending local cases, the latter would seek &ldquo;services of corrupt lawyers to file frivolous cases against themselves to delay their deportation.&rdquo;
&ldquo;This is really a modus of fugitives to escape arrest in their home countries [...] With the DOJ running after lawyers and courts who perpetrate such schemes, I&rsquo;m sure no one would dare use this scheme again,&rdquo; he added.
According to the DOJ, this &ldquo;loophole&rdquo; prompted foreign nationals to take advantage of the system through the aid of &ldquo;corrupt&rdquo; legal practitioners to file groundless cases against themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;
DOJ also stated that with the BI&rsquo;s holding facility in Taguig currently housing 276 foreign nationals&mdash;half of which have pending criminal cases, with 53 percent flagged as fugitives from justice&mdash;there is an &ldquo;urgent need to address this challenge.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Collaboration between the DOJ and Bl is set to strengthen, promising a more secure and accountable immigration process for the Philippines,&rdquo; DOJ added.
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DOJ, BI to resolve ‘Demanda Me’ scheme of foreign nationals