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DOJ to place Mike Arroyo on Immigration watch list


Former First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo may be receiving medical treatment in Hong Kong, but that does not preclude the Department of Justice from placing him on the Bureau of Immigration's watch list. At a news briefing on Thursday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima announced that she will issue later in the day the watch list order against Mr. Arroyo and his alleged secretary, Rowena del Rosario. The DOJ's move stems from the request of Senate blue ribbon committee chair Teofisto Guingona III. An individual placed on the Immigration watch list must first ask the DOJ to lift the order before he or she can travel abroad. The person must also present the government-issued clearance before leaving the country. It is less restrictive than a hold departure order, which automatically bars an individual from leaving the country.

De Lima said the issuance of the order is not futile because it instructs the BI to report to the DOJ when Mr. Arroyo returns. The DOJ will then report to Guingona that the former First Gentleman is back in the country. "If he (Mr. Arroyo) intends to leave again, he must first seek a clearance, not an injunction, against leaving," she added. Earlier in the day, GMA News' Hong Kong stringer Corazon Cañete reported that Mr. Arroyo has vowed to return to the Philippines on Monday. Mr. Arroyo is facing a Senate blue ribbon committee's inquiry into the Philippine National Police's acquisition of multi-million peso second-hand helicopters in 2009. Mr. Arroyo was said to be the previous owner of choppers that were sold as brand new to the PNP. Last month, Mr. Arroyo denied selling used helicopters to the PNP. — RSJ, GMA News
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