MANILA, Philippines — For as high as P200,000, a blacklisted Chinese fugitive can “freely” enter the Philippines, an immigration officer who exposed the “pastillas” bribery scheme claimed when he surfaced at the Senate Thursday.

Immigration officer Allison Chiong disclosed the racket during the resumption of the Senate committee on women’s hearing into the alleged link of prostitution and human trafficking to Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).

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It was committee chair Senator Risa Hontiveros who initially bared the so-called “pastillas” scheme where immigration officers purportedly extort money from arriving Chinese nationals mostly employed as Pogo workers in exchange for a seamless entry into the country.

Under this racket, a Chinese citizen pays a P10,000 “service fee” – P2,000 of which will be shared among officials of the BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit, duty Immigration supervisor, and terminal heads. The remaining P8,000 will then be given to tour operators and syndicates who will transport the Chinese from the airport to Pogo facilities.

Senator Imee Marcos asked Chiong if he has any knowledge of blacklisted fugitives from China availing themselves of the “VIP treatment” to be able to enter the country smoothly.

“May alam ka bang VVIP? Mas VIP pa sa mga normal na VIP? Kapag may blacklisting, may record na kriminal, meron bang mas malaki?” Marcos asked.

(Do you know of any VVIP? More VP that the normal ones? When there is blacklisting or they have a criminal record, are there bigger clients?)

“Yes, your honor. Special arrangement yan…Yung mga blacklisted, they freely enter our country,” Chiong said.

(Yes, your honor. That’s a special arrangement. Those who are blacklisted, they freely enter our country.)

“Passing through na lang yon. As in hindi ii-iscan ang passport, dadaan lang yon. Package pa yon, pati sa departure (nila),” he added.

(They will just pass through. Their passports will not even be scanned. That’s a package, even during their departure.)

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Marcos then asked how much these Chinese fugitives would pay for such treatment.

“Iba ang rate niyan, malaki na po yan—‘di ko po for sure—pero from what I have heard, it ranges from around P50,000 to P200,000 per daan. Kapag high-profile po, milyon-milyon po yun,” Chiong claimed.

(That’s different, it’s big—I’m not sure—but from what I have heard, it ranges from around P50,000 to P200,000 each time they will pass through. If it’s a high-profile case, they pay in millions.)

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