Tuesday, May 06, 2008 City to closely monitor ‘abduction’ case
FOLLOWING the alleged harassment of a Korean couple, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña urged foreign visitors to report to him any incident of harassment by immigration officials.
Osmeña said he will treat the experience of Korean nationals Lee Dong Bum, 41, and his wife Kim Sun, 37, as an isolated case, but the City Government will monitor the progress of the case.
Last Wednesday, two Bureau of Immigration (BI) agents from Manila arrived at the couple’s office at the PDI Condominium building in Barangay Banilad and forced them into a waiting van outside.
The two agents, Eduardo Silvero and Bernard Cruzata, allegedly failed to identify themselves and state the couple’s supposed violations when they carried out their mission order and invited the couple for questioning.
At the BI 7 office, the new BI alien control officer (ACR) yesterday urged his colleagues and subordinates to help promote tourism by being courteous to all aliens in the country.
Coordinate
Dr. Reynaldo G. Almaden, BI assistant commissioner and ACR for the Visayas, made the statement after immigration agents Bernard Cruzata and Eduardo Silverio did not coordinate with his office when they arrested Korean couple Lee Dong Bum and Kim Sun A last April 30.
Lee and Kim were released the following day on order of Commissioner Marcelino Libanan after finding that the couple’s business here in Cebu is legal and they have a permit to stay in the country until 2009.
The couple accused the immigration agents of terrorizing them inside their office in Banilad, Cebu City before they were brought to Manila and presented to Libanan.
In his news conference yesterday, Osmeña called on all foreign visitors to report to his office immediately if they are being harassed by immigration agents.
Harassed
“Any visitor here in Cebu who is being harassed by immigration agents, you come to me. Even if you are not in Cebu City, you come to me,” he said.
Because of his tight schedule, the mayor did not get a chance to talk to the Korean couple. He is scheduled to talk to Ateneo de Manila University’s graduates today, and will leave for an official trip to Hawaii in the United States on Thursday.
Osmeña also recalled the incident with Bigfoot Global Systems Inc. owner Michael Gleissner back in 2004, when his plane was not permitted to land at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
The mayor reported the incident to the President and questioned the treatment of foreign investors in the country.
“Why are we treating our investors like this?” asked the mayor.
He admitted, though, that not all investors who come to the country are good.
Osmeña said he hopes incidents like this will no longer happen in the future. “Put yourself in the shoes of a stranger coming to Cebu,” he added.
Lawyer Armando Consolacion, the counsel of Lee and Kim, followed them to Manila and presented to Libanan all the legal documents in relation to their stay in the Philippines and their travel agency business.
Travel papers
Almaden said Libanan scolded Cruzata and Silverio for lying that the Korean couple failed to show their travel documents and business permits when they went to their office.
Lee had accused Silverio of pointing a gun at them and telling them to shut up and just follow their order. Silverio also did not allegedly ask for their passports.
Almaden said foreigners, including those holding a tourist, business or a student visa, must be assisted if there are errors in their documentation.
“Tourists and foreign businessmen have contributed to the Philippine economy and have given jobs to the Filipinos. Let us respect their rights,” Almaden said.
Lee and Kim, who also facilitate the enrolment of Korean tourists in Cebu’s language schools, employ at least 250 Filipinos, including English teachers, clerks and utility personnel.
Overstaying
When Almaden assumed office last April 28, the first thing he did was urge all overstaying aliens to come to him to legalize their stay in the country.
Almaden had said there would be no deportation of aliens just because they are overstaying.
If they (overstaying aliens) want to stay longer in the country, they could just renew the period of their stay and pay the required fees, Almaden had said.
Since last year, citizens of countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are no longer required to secure a visa.
Asean members are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (EOB/EPB)
