Raffy Tulfo floats allowing BI to immediately deport aliens

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Monday floated the idea of allowing the Bureau of Immigration to deport foreigners without being subjected to appeals before Philippine courts.

He said this during the hearing of the Senate justice and human rights subcommittee on Joseph Sy, whose Filipino citizenship is being questioned.

“So maybe merong batas na ire-repeal o i-amend na once na idineklara na ng agency tulad ng BI — because they have the expertise to determine the documents being presented against this person — then sila lang po dapat ang may karapatan na magpa-deport at wala nang korte man na pwedeng makiaalam pa,” he said.

(So maybe there is a law to be repealed or amended that once an agency like the BI declares — because they have the expertise to determine the documents being presented against this person — then they alone should have the right to deport and no court should be able to intervene anymore.)

“I think if we have that law or amend that law or bisitahin ‘yung batas na ‘yan na hindi na pwedeng pakiaalaman ng korte,” he added.

(I think if we have that law or amend that law or revisit that law so that the court can no longer interfere.)

Immigration Commissioner Joel Viado said that Sy, also identified by authorities as Chinese national Chen Zhong Zhen, is facing a deportation case.

However, a regional trial court has ordered the release of Sy after it granted his habeas corpus petition. The businessman’s legal counsel, Atty. Alma Mallonga, said the Court of Appeals affirmed this.

Tulfo questioned the basis of the grant of the petition.

Meanwhile, Viado said that there was a “presumption” that he is a Filipino based on the documents that he presented.

The senator then asked if the BI presented as evidence Sy’s alleged two passports, which Viado affirmed.

This prompted Tulfo to say that the problem is with the court.

Though Sy attended the hearing, he repeatedly invoked his right to remain silent and right against self-incrimination when asked questions about where he was born and his childhood, citing his ongoing deportation case.—AOL, GMA Integrated News