DOJ action on alleged Aguirre link to 'pastillas' scheme to be based on competent evidence —Guevarra

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Tuesday said any action on the part of the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the alleged involvement of his predecessor, Vitaliano Aguirre II, in immigration escort services will be based on "competent evidence."

Aguirre was linked to the "pastillas" scheme by Ramon Tulfo, a columnist whom the former Justice chief had previously sued for libel and cyber libel. Tulfo claimed on Monday that Aguirre was the "protector" of the syndicate that ran the supposed modus.

Threatening to file new complaints against Tulfo, Aguirre denied the accusation and said he will request the Senate committee investigating the scheme to invite him to future hearings so he could refute the allegation.

"As far as the DOJ is concerned, any action will be based solely on competent evidence, irrespective of the identity of status of the subject," Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

Guevarra was appointed secretary of the DOJ after Aguirre resigned in 2018.

The incumbent DOJ chief has tasked the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the "pastillas" scheme, in which immigration personnel allegedly escort Chinese casino high-rollers and offshore gaming workers through the immigration process in exchange for a fee.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has placed 19 personnel on floating status pending the results of the investigation.

Before the modus was revealed in public, Guevarra had ordered the NBI to investigate the alleged involvement of immigration personnel in human trafficking and escort services. He said this investigation is ongoing.

"The investigation is focused on the unlawful activities, regardless of who might be actually involved," he said. —KBK, GMA News