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What took so long?
“After 16 years of being incarcerated, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) finally sent home its longest staying detainee – a 47-year-old Japanese man named Junichi Inoue,” reports Evelyn Macairan in The Philippine Star.
According to BI spokesperson Elaine Tan said Junichi Inoue, who has been detained since 1999, was finally deported last Wed, May 20.
So, why did Inoue end up staying in the Philippines for such a long time?
The report explained, “Inoue was apprehended and quarantined at the BI’s Warden Facility in Taguig City because he violated the conditions of his stay. His passport was cancelled and he was reportedly facing a robbery case in Japan. Upon his arrest, Inoue applied for voluntary deportation, which was granted on May 13, 1999.”
However, as the report indicated, “the BI was prevented from implementing the deportation order against Inoue because he had pending cases for the violation of Batas Pambansa 22, or the Anti-Bouncing Check Law, before the municipal trial courts of Cainta, Rizal; Biñan, Laguna; San Pedro, Laguna; and Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. “
The report further revealed that “BI rules provide that a foreign national subject to a final deportation order may not be physically deported if he has pending obligations with the Philippine government, especially if the obligation arises from a criminal liability.”
In a statement, BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison said, “We are glad to have finally deported him to his native country Japan, considering that the bureau is not in the business of detaining but deporting.”
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