Just 150000! Can blacklisted foreigners easily enter and leave the Philippines?

On October 12, 2023 local time, Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Crispin Remurra (Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla) revealed that corrupt immigration officials provided "airport customs escort services" to blacklisted foreigners with 150000 pesos ".

Remura said: "We have information that foreigners on the blacklist can still easily enter and leave the country, and they only need to pay 150000 pesos in advance for customs protection. We have to look at the Immigration Department again to understand why this is happening and reorganize the internal staff if necessary."

According to the attorney general, the scandal, which was first discovered in 2020 and was then known as the Milk Candy Scandal or the Security Scandal, included the use of 10000 pesos to provide a fast-track customs entry service for incoming foreigners, mostly Chinese.

The Director of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Norman Tansingco, issued a statement that the Commitment Period Office is investigating corruption reports and human trafficking incidents involving personnel in his department.

When asked if he still trusts Chen Xinge to lead the immigration department, Justice Minister Remulla replied in the affirmative, saying: "Yes, I still believe him. But we still have many problems and challenges to be solved, which certainly did not arise overnight."

The Minister of Justice said that Philippine President Marcos Jo is also aware of this problem. He said: "The president has hinted to me a lot of things that he wants to do, but that is the future. This will be after we can complete the review of many things."