The Bureau of Immigration said a Chinese man who escaped its custody at the Club Fontana in Clark did not bribe anyone when he fled. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
One of the Chinese who reportedly fled from the custody of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Club Fontana casino in Clark, Pampanga, returned on Friday and denied bribing anyone to escape.
In a statement, the Bureau of Immigration said Liang Kun, 24, left the holding facility at the Fontana convention center last Wednesday to take a shower and rest in the villa where he lived while working at the casino. Kun was among the more than 1,000 Chinese arrested by the government at the Fontana casino last Nov. 24 for allegedly operating an illegal online gaming business.
Speaking through an interpreter, Kun reportedly vehemently denied that he bribed his way to freedom. He added that he had no other companion at the villa except household workers.
He said he did not know the whereabouts of 26 other escapees who were still at large.
It was learned that Kun’s manager, a certain Bai Yu Lan a.k.a. Mango, called him to convince him to surrender and return to the holding facility.
“It appears from his testimony that the motive for his escape was simply to get away from the discomforts of the holding facility, which was overcrowded and had no sleeping provisions, and return to the comforts of his own bedroom in the villa,” lawyer Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, BI spokesperson, said in a statement.
Mangrobang said BI officials were confident that the 26 Chinese nationals who remained at large would return to custody as they had nowhere to go except hide in the comforts of their homes inside the Clark Freeport.
“It is better if they surrender, lest they forfeit their opportunity to air their side and present their defense while undergoing deportation proceedings before our bureau.” Mangrobang said.
A total of 57 Chinese escaped the holding facility but 31 have returned to BI custody.