Chinese in 'taho' incident posts bail but is rearrested; her lawyer cries ‘abduction’

The camp of Jiale Zhang, the Chinese woman in hot water for disrespecting a Filipino policeman, on Wednesday accused immigration personnel of "abduction" for allegedly forcibly taking her on Tuesday and is now mulling to file a complaint.

"She was literally abducted... and another thing also this procedure is illegal," said lawyer Sandra Respall, Zhang's legal counsel, in an Unang Balita report by Vonne Aquino.

Respall said Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel, who arrived at the Mandaluyong Police Station on Tuesday afternoon after her client had posted bail, presented a mission order stating that they need to take Zhang with them for investigation.

"To bring Ms. Zhang to the Bureau of Immigration for clarification/investigation as an undesirable alien and the issuance of a warrant-less arrest... something to that effect in that order... So I told the team leader, which is which? Are you bringing her to investigate? Are you bringing her to arrest her?" Respall said.

Respall said when asked on where they would bring Zhang, the BI team leader replied that they would bring her to a detention facility as the preliminary investigation for her case was scheduled the following day.

When Respall refused, BI agents then asked for Zhang's passport and visa.

"Now, what do you plan to do with her passport? Are you silly? This is Chinese government property... you have no right at all to take the passport away," Respall said.

Respall said she heard her client screaming and asking for help when she went to the comfort room as she (Zhang) was being "physically lift[ed]" by the BI personnel.

Respall said she tried to rescue the 23-year-old Zhang, but she was blocked by several men.

It was already 10 p.m. when Respall and Zhang's sibling arrived at the BI office. Respall then received a call from Zhang, saying that she was brought to a detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig.

According to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, the complaint will have no basis as the BI agents were just following a valid mission order in connection with Zhang's deportation case.

"Well, wala po itong basis kasi nagkaroon po talaga ng valid mission order to conduct the arrest of this person," Sandoval said in a separate Unang Balita interview.

"They were armed with a valid mission order... nagkaroon lang po ng kaunting kaguluhan because the subject was resisting arrest. Eh kailangan po talaga siyang maaresto because she was already charged for undesirability, for a deportation case," she added.

Sandoval said BI agents had tried to conduct the arrest "as peacefully as possible."

In a separate press statement, Sandoval said the BI is expected to resolve Zhang's case in the coming weeks, adding that the Chinese may also face eventual blacklisting.

The BI official clarified that Zhang's court case and immigration case are two different matters. 

"Her court case will run independent from her immigration case. If found deportable, we will wait for the resolution of her court case before implementing the deportation," she said.

On the morning of February 9, Zhang was stopped at the turnstiles in the MRT3's Boni Station by staff, who asked her to finish the taho she was carrying before entering, but she refused.

Rail personnel asked Police Officer 1 William Cristobal to explain the MRT's ban on liquids to Zhang, but in a fit of anger she threw her taho at Cristobal.

Zhang already apologized for her action. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK/RSJ, GMA News