MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) will try to expedite the deportation of Japanese citizens believed to be involved in running a string of robberies in their country while inside the Immigration detention facility in Manila.
On Monday, representatives from the Japanese embassy met with Remulla and requested the deportation of four of its nationals.
“When the request came yesterday [Monday], we were working on limited time,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said at a press conference adding that “we will deport who we can deport legally.”
He said three of the four still have pending cases in Taguig, Pasay, and Maguindanao, while the cases in Makati and Quezon City were dismissed.
One of the four Japanese citizens currently under the Bureau of Immigration detention facility is believed to be “Luffy,” the brains behind the robberies in Japan. The Japanese government has been after “Luffy” who managed to run his syndicate while supposedly detained in the Philippines.
Remulla said they do not want the “Luffy” case to be the focus of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Japan in February.
“We are trying to finish these cases prior to the President’s trip, so this will not be the focus of media when he goes to Japan because this will be a distraction,” Remulla said.