BI probes escape of 57 Chinese arrested in Clark

The arrested Chinese workers were caught engaged in illegal online gambling in Pampanga. —PHOTO COURTESY OF BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION)

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has formed a team to investigate the escape of 57 Chinese nationals who were arrested last week at the Fontana Leisure Park in Clark, Pampanga.

BI spokesperson Tonette Mangrobang said Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente had ordered the creation of an investigating panel “to conduct a thorough assessment of the circumstances surrounding the escape.”

This was to determine whether or not the guards facilitated the escape of the Chinese nationals, she said.

Bribery allegations

On Thursday, 57 Chinese nationals who were among the 1,316 nabbed in Clark, Pampanga, escaped from detention before dawn.

This was amid bribery allegations against Macau-based gambling tycoon Jack Lam, who was accused of trying to bribe Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for the release of the foreigners.

Thirty of the 57 escapees have returned as of Thursday afternoon, leaving 27 Chinese still unaccounted for.