Hontiveros appeals to Ombudsman to spare 'pastillas scheme' whistle-blower from suspension

Immigration officer and "pastillas" scheme whistle-blower Jeffrey Dale Ignacio should be spared from the six-month preventive suspension meted out by the Office of the Ombudsman against several Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials, Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Wednesday.

"Whistleblower Jeffrey Dale Ignacio, who turned state witness by testifying how BI officials institutionalized corruption in the agency, has been included in this suspension," Hontiveros said in a statement.

"I hope the Ombudsman can consider reversing this order against Dale as his testimony, which completed the picture of the corrupt system in the BI, has been invaluable in our Senate probe as well as the NBI’s own investigation," she added.

Ignacio, a self-confessed member of the pastillas group, appeared as a witness in the Senate inquiry earlier this month. He corroborated whistle-blower Allison Chiong's previous testimonies. 

He was one of the 19 BI personnel whom the NBI accused of graft

Nonetheless, Hontiveros said the Ombudsman's move was really a welcome development and added that she was gratified to see that the Senate investigation and the diligence of the law enforcers are in fruition in bringing erring officials to justice.

On Tuesday, Ombudsman Samuel Martires confirmed that he issued a suspension order against BI officials allegedly involved in the "pastillas", a bribery scheme that is believed to have allowed Chinese high rollers and offshore gaming workers to skirt the proper immigration process through bribes.

Hontiveros, who leads the Senate probe into the pastillas scheme, thanked Martires and said she hopes the "big fish" will also be caught, including those that are no longer in the BI.

The NBI, which nabbed its own legal assistance chief Joshua Paul Capiral in relation to the pastillas scheme, also has the senator's trust in holding more corrupt immigration officials to account. —KG, GMA News