MANILA, Philippines — As far as the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is concerned, fugitive gaming tycoon Charlie "Atong" Ang is still in the country because there is no legal exit record.
"Our records indicated that Ang has not left the country. There is no record that he legally exited in any of our major airports or ports," BI spokesman Dana Sandoval on Wednesday said.
Sandoval issued the clarification in reaction to a statement by Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla that the fugitive businessman had been spotted in Vietnam based on an intelligence report.
Sandoval pointed out though that if Ang was able to slip out of the country, he may have left via the southern backdoor, the illegal route used by trafficking victims.
Sandvoal also said the agency remained committed to sharing information on illegal routes used by tranfficking victims and fugitives to help local government units and law enforcement agencies tighten security in emerging hotspots.
She pointed out that the backdoor exit was now tightly watched by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), local government units (LGUs) and local enforcement agencies (LEAs), as recommended by a study conducted by the Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).
"The IACAT study on illegal backdoor roures recommended better engagement of local government units and local enforcement agencies with the IACAT in the implementation of anti-trafficking laws in the southern backdoor," added Sandoval.
