Neil Jayson Servallos – The Philippine Star
August 9, 2023 | 12:00am
Las Piñas POGO raid:
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) will file administrative complaints against four Las Piñas Regional Trial Court judges for freeing foreigners who were taken into custody during a raid in June on a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) allegedly involved in human trafficking.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed yesterday that at least four judges granted the habeas corpus petitions filed by more or less 600 foreigners being held by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
He said he ordered the BI to file administrative charges of alleged gross ignorance of the law against the judges before the Supreme Court, saying they granted the petitions without a “colatilla” or an excuse to release foreigners unless they are being held for other purposes.
“In that way, they are ignoring the jurisdiction of the BI and the DOJ with regard to illegal acts of aliens in the country,” Remulla said without naming the judges.
The foreigners were among more than 2,700 rescued during a June 27 police raid on a POGO in Las Piñas City. They were allegedly trafficked to the country to do illicit jobs in the guise of working as POGO employees, thereby violating their visas.
The POGO has denied that the workers were trafficked and they did not do illegal activities as part of their job.
The Court of Appeals (CA) last month granted the habeas corpus petitions filed by four Chinese workers rescued during the operation, stressing that the continued detention of over 1,000 victims, including the four, violated anti-trafficking laws.
Remulla, however, said they would not be filing charges against CA justices as they granted the petition with a colatilla.
