THE justice department has ordered a lawyer relieved “in view of the many administrative and criminal complaints” against him before an agency that is hounded by allegations of corrupting foreigners.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez wants lawyer Serafin Abellon of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) 7, based in Mandaue City, to return to the BI office in Manila “immediately” and to stay there until further notice.

Abellon, in an interview, said he has not yet received a copy of the memorandum but clarified that no criminal or administrative complaint has been lodged against him.

Panagbenga 2009 blog

“I was issued an NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) clearance last Friday,” he said. People with outstanding cases raise a “hit” flag when their application is processed through the NBI database.

Memo

Nevertheless, he said, he will comply with the memorandum as soon as he receives it and will make a report to Justice Secretary Gonzalez.

“I am the resident ombudsman of the BI 7. I have to comply. All I ask for is due process,” he said.

“You are hereby ordered to report to the undersigned to explain your side within five days,” Gonzalez said in a separate memorandum to Abellon, who holds the rank of Legal Officer 2 at the BI 7.

The relief and recall was contained in one memorandum while the directive to explain was contained in a separate order. Both were dated Feb. 26.

The BI is an attached agency of the Department of Justice, giving the justice secretary authority over all of its officials, though a commission.

The agency, in turn, was created to handle immigration and deportation cases against foreigners holding Philippine visas.

At present there are two DOJ prosecutors “detailed” to the agency by Secretary Gonzalez—Mary Ann Castro and Vicente Mañalac.

Abellon, a native of Cebu, was assigned to the BI 7 upon the May 16, 2008 order of BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan and was tasked to head the Law and Investigation Division of the BI office here.

But during his tenure, complaints were supposedly filed containing allegations that he allegedly sought money from the wife of a foreigner applying for a permanent resident visa.

According to the foreigner, who wrote Libanan in July 2008, they paid up but were only given an extension certificate and were asked to pay again when the extension expired.

But Abellon denied this, saying the letter did not refer to him at all.

Sun.Star Cebu was furnished a copy of the letter. A caret, apparently made by pen, and the phrase “referring to Atty. Serafin Abellon” had been typed above a line.

Complaint

He stressed that there was only one complaint against him and this was prepared by Atty. Reynaldo Almaden, one time Acting Alien Control Officer.

Abellon maintained he was cleared of the allegations that he often bet heavily in the casino, drank much and was constantly late in reporting for work.

“The allegation was that I was always late but my time cards show otherwise,” he said. He added that the casino and drinking were lies, adding that he always pulls double shifts—office work during the daytime and airport duties late at night until early dawn.

He suspects that some powerful individuals at the BI 7 want him out, blaming him for the current “power struggle” at the office.

“I know nothing about it, I swear by my grave,” he said.

Others say some sectors in the legal department want him out so they can appropriate among themselves all of the change-of-status proceedings filed before the office.

He lamented having to work given the present conditions and hinted his intent to avail himself of optional retirement instead.

“I have been in government service for over 30 years and I already qualify for early retirement. I have already been awarded twice,” he said. (KNR)