Immigration lookout bulletin issued vs. woman in DBP behest loans mess

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) issued an “immigration lookout bulletin” against Josephine Manalo, for her alleged involvement in the behest loans anomaly at the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). BI Associate Commissioner Siegfred Mison issued the bulletin on Tuesday on orders of Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary De Lima who earlier turned down a Senate request to place Manalo, president of Delta Ventures Resources Inc., on the immigration watchlist. In denying the Senate’s request, De Lima cited the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court.(SC) on the DOJ circular prescribing the rules for issuing watchlist, hold departure, and allow departure orders. De Lima said the TRO prevents the DOJ not only from implementing watchlist orders but also from implementing the department circular. The SC earlier granted the petition of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo for a TRO against the issuance of an immigration watch list.   Mison cited De Lima’s written directive to the BI “to be on the lookout for Manalo should she pass through the Immigration counters in any of our international airports and/or seaports.”  Lawyer Grace Lara, BI head executive assistant said it was the BI's first time to issue a lookout bulletin, which does not direct immigration officers at the airports and seaports to prevent persons from leaving the country.   “This bulletin is for monitoring purposes only.  If she is spotted at the airport, we will inform the Senate and DOJ that she is about to leave the country,” she said. Previously, the BI could bar persons who were subjects of watchlist orders from leaving unless their travel was cleared by the agency that sought their inclusion in the watchlist. — with B.L. Vergara, VVP, GMA News