MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros has appealed to the Office of the Ombudsman to reconsider the inclusion of one of her “pastillas” whistleblowers among the immigration personnel slapped with a six-month suspension over the bribery scheme. The Office of the Ombudsman earlier placed 45 Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials and personnel on preventive suspension in connection with the so-called “pastillas” scheme, including Immigration Officer II Jeffrey Dale Ignacio. ADVERTISEMENTBut Hontiveros on Wednesday said Ignacio was “invaluable” in the Senate probe that uncovered the modus. A self-confessed member of the so-called “pastillas” group, Ignacio tagged former BI ports operation division chief Marc Red Mariñas as the “ringleader” of the operation. ADVERTISEMENT“I trust that his (Ombudsman Samuel Martires) office will go after the big fish, pati yung wala na sa Bureau of Immigration,” the senator added.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 28, 2020 00:07 UTC