MANILA, Philippines — Immigration officials on Monday claimed ignorance of the so-called “Pastillas” modus wherein corrupt airport employees and officials receive kickbacks in exchange for the seamless entry of Chinese nationals. Senator Risa Hontiveros exposed the alleged kickback scheme, which she said could very well have reached a total of P1 billion, during the hearing of the Senate committee on women on Monday. ADVERTISEMENTBureau of Immigration (BI) Deputy Commissioner J. Tobias Javier and Port Operations Division head Grifton Medina, however, both insisted having heard of the scheme for the first time. “It’s the first time I saw (that),” Javier said of the exchange of messages of alleged cohorts on the entry of the Chinese nationals, though he noted that visa upon arrival is not processed at the airports. Hontiveros said that the Chinese nationals, who allegedly paid P10,000 service fee, are holding ordinary tourist visas.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 17, 2020 05:37 UTC