Re: FORMER FILIPINO OFFICIAL ARRESTED IN THE US: seeks asylum

Dirty Sick Pig wrote:
Technicalities exist to protect the innocent, including those who are suspect but are entitled to the presumption, and to uphold the due process of law.

Do you disagree, genius?


aquila the sisiw wrote:

techinicalities can be the refuge of scumbags. good example for the
new generations crime pays as long as somebody likes you from the
top



‘Bolante case very rare’
DFA knew of arrest in US from Day One
By Nimfa U. Rueda
Inquirer
Last updated 01:39am (Mla time) 07/15/2006
Published on page A1 of the July 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
LOS ANGELES—The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila apparently knew about the July 7 arrest of former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante from Day One but kept it under wraps for almost a week.
Mike Flemming, spokesperson for the US Customs and Border Protection, which detained Bolante upon his arrival at the Los Angeles International Airport on July 7, said the ex-agriculture official was stopped as he went through passport control for “secondary inspection.”
At that point, Flemming said, it was discovered that Bolante’s US visa had been revoked by the US Embassy in Manila. Bolante was detained for questioning and turned over to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he said.
Flemming said that on the same day, the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles was informed about Bolante’s arrest. Asked how the information was relayed, he said: “We sent them a fax, and we also spoke to them on the phone.”
One of the top immigration specialists in Los Angeles described the cancellation of Bolante’s visa as “a very rare case.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard of such a case in my 30 years in the field of immigration,” Carl Shusterman said, adding that it was not very common for any US consulate to revoke a visa when the holder was not physically present at the consulate.
Shusterman said the most common reason for visa cancellation was overstaying.
“You’d have to do something really bad to get your visa revoked like that,” he said.
Why did DFA keep quiet?
At a press conference held July 10 at the Philippine Consulate in LA, Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III (LP, Quezon) raised the question of why it took the DFA several days to release the information on Bolante’s arrest.
Advocating the impeachment of President Macapagal-Arroyo at the press conference, Tañada brought up the Bolante case and criticized the Arroyo administration for continuing to refuse to address the issue.
“It’s so ironic,” the lawmaker said. “There I was, talking about Bolante at the consulate, and it turns out he had already been arrested. The consulate and the DFA apparently knew about the arrest and yet decided not to say anything about it.”
Tañada speculated that Bolante’s arrest could have been a move to keep the man in the United States for a longer period of time, if not permanently, to evade investigation for corruption.
“There’s definitely more to this story than what is apparent right now,” he added.
It was only on July 12 that DFA spokesperson Gilberto Asuque announced Bolante’s July 7 arrest to reporters in Manila. Quoting Consul General William Gaa, Asuque said US authorities informed the LA consulate by phone of Bolante’s arrest and detention only on July 10.
Political asylum
Bolante left the Philippines last year, after snubbing repeated summonses to a Senate inquiry into the disbursement of millions of pesos in fertilizer funds to administration allies, purportedly to ensure Ms Arroyo’s victory in the 2004 presidential election.
On July 13, House Minority Leader Francis Escudero quoted his sources in California as saying that Bolante was planning to apply for political asylum in the United States.
Escudero speculated that Bolante could be planning to turn state witness against the Arroyo administration.
But Sharon Rummery, regional communications manager of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said her agency could neither confirm nor deny this.
“Even if an asylum case has been filed, we cannot talk about it. That would be a violation of the Federal Privacy Act,” she said.
Rummery said applicants for asylum would need to prove a “well-founded fear of persecution” based on any of the following: Race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a special social group.
Once asylum is granted, the person can stay in the United States for one year, after which he or she can become a permanent resident, she said.
Shusterman, a former lawyer of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, said it was possible for Bolante to apply for political asylum even after the cancellation of his US visa.
He must present reason
At the scheduled hearing on his visa case, Bolante will have to present a reason why he should not be deported, Shusterman said. An application for political asylum can be presented as a reason for being allowed to stay, he said.
As of July 14 (July 15 in the Philippines) Bolante remains in detention at the San Pedro Detention Center in California as he undergoes deportation proceedings for charges of immigration violation, said Lori Haley, spokesperson for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“(Bolante) is being processed for removal pending review of his case,” she said.
Haley confirmed that Bolante’s visa had been revoked by the US Embassy in Manila, but said her agency had no information on why this was done. She said only the embassy in Manila or the State Department in Washington could provide that information.
Right to privacy
However, State Department spokesperson Curtis Cooper said they could not comment on visa issues because of visa holders’ right to privacy.
Both the DFA in Manila and the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles have turned silent on Bolante’s case, referring questions from the media to the latter’s Manila-based lawyer and spokesperson, Antonio Zulueta.
“[Bolante’s] family requested privacy,” said Consul Helen Barber.
But Chito Quijano, spokesperson of the US chapter of the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, yesterday denounced the Arroyo administration for withholding information on Bolante’s arrest, saying it was part of a cover-up of “one of the biggest government scams.”

Nimfa U. Rueda is a contributor to the Philippine Daily Inquirer


Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights
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