A group of Immigration officers has vowed to cooperate with the Department of Justice in investigating the alleged “pastillas” scheme following President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to rid the bureau of corrupt personnel.
The Immigration Officers Association of the Philippines Inc. said it was fully cooperating in the investigations and the search for the truth in the recent issues involving the agency’s officers and personnel.
“We support and stand by our President Duterte and the administration in the campaign against corruption and will respect the rule of law and due process accorded to our members,” the IOAP said in a statement.
The Justice department was ordered by the President to look into the corruption activities in Immigration, such as human trafficking involving immigration personnel, escort services for a fee and now the “pastillas” scheme, which was coined to describe the packaging of hush money purportedly given to immigration officials.
The IOAP says it will give its members who were allegedly linked to the “pastillas” scandal the assistance and benefits due them.
“We stand by the hundreds of other Immigration Officers, dedicated and honest public servants who remain steadfast in their duty to protect our international borders, despite the bandwagon persecution, and continue to be united in our aspirations to eradicate corruption in our office and promote a stronger bureau,” the group said.
“As border control officers, we shall continue to faithfully serve our country and work for our national security despite the sweeping prejudices against our ranks and the pressing challenges to our mandate.”