John Consulta's I-Witness docu on Alias 'Luffy' airs this Saturday

John covers one of the biggest crime stories that spans the Philippines and Japan.

It was in 2019 when the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Immigration Fugitive Search Unit first launched their operations against a Japanese syndicate operating in the Philippines. The suspected leader of the gang, Yuki Watanabe, is believed to be using the alias “Luffy” to send instructions to his gang members in Japan. Luffy is the name of a pirate king in a popular Japanese cartoon.

Over the years, Philippine authorities were able to catch key members of the syndicate one by one from various location -- from a posh casino hotel to a popular diving spot. After their arrest, however, the gang was still able to operate despite being under detention. This prompted Japanese authorities to reach out to the Philippine government for the hasty deportation of Watanabe and his men. Four years after their operations were first discovered, John is given the chance to speak to Watanabe in person.

A recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from UP Los Baños and Outstanding Senior News Correspondent awardee from the Public Attorney's Office in 2012, John is known for his brave reportage of crime and law enforcement. He has been making documentaries for Brigada as well as filing exclusive stories for GMA Integrated News. As one of the new hosts of I-Witness, John aims to help improve the world, one documentary at a time.

Do not miss John Consulta's first documentary as one of the hosts of I-Witness with “Alyas Luffy,” this Saturday, March 4, 2023, 10:15 pm on GMA.

Global Pinoys can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV. Visit www.gmapinoytv.com/subscribe for more details.