Lookout bulletin order issued on 2 BI execs, 4 others over Jack Lam extortion mess

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Friday issued a lookout bulletin order on several personalities, including ranking Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials implicated in the P50-million extortion controversy involving gaming tycoon Jack Lam. 

The lookout bulletin instructs immigration officers to inform the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding any attempt by the subjects to leave the country by forwarding details of their flight, itineraries and/or whereabouts.

Covered by the lookout bulletin are Immigration Deputy Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, former BI acting intelligence chief Charles Calima, retired police official Wally Sombero, an associate of Lam, and the businessman's interpreters Norman Ng and Alexander Yu.

The DOJ earlier placed Lam under the same bulletin but the Chinese gambling operator had already left the country on November 29 based on BI records.

"As per SOJ (Secretary of Justice), depending on the outcome of the NBI investigation and other investigations on this (extortion issue), other names might be placed on ILBO (immigration lookout bulletin order)," Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said. 

Argosino and Robles were caught on video accepting money from Sombero, who acted as middleman of Lam, owner of the Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino in Clark, Pampanga where 1,316 undocumented Chinese workers were apprehended by BI operatives on November 24.

The two Immigration officials allegedly demanded P50 million in exchange for the release of the 600 Chinese illegally working for Lam's online gambling operations at Fontana, according to the December 10 column of opinion writer Ramon Tulfo.

Argosino and Robles denied the allegations, saying they accepted the money as part of their probe on corruption in the Immigration agency involving Lam, a Macau-based businessman.

Separate probes are being conducted by the NBI, Parañaque City Prosecutor's Office, and Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to  get to the bottom of the extortion mess.

Aguirre had also recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte the termination of Argosino and Robles and fired Calima and Chan. 

“As I have said before, no stones unturned, no sacred cows in our ongoing war against corruption in the government," Aguirre said in a statement.

"We will begin waging this relentless pursuit of corrupt personnel in our own backyard i.e. in the DOJ Family. Let this be a warning to all. If you are corrupt, we will go after you!” —RSJ/KG, GMANews