IMMIGRATION authorities are on the hunt for a South Korean wanted in his home country for fraud who managed to escape while attending a hearing at the Quezon City Prosecutors Office last Tuesday.
Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) should “seriously clean up its ranks” over the escape of fugitive Na Ikhyeon.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said Na Ikhyeon, 28, is wanted in South Korea for deceptive investments.
Na, who was arrested in Clark, Pampanga in 2023 for assuming a false Filipino identity, escaped as Hontiveros was presiding over the Senate subcommittee on justice and human rights hearing where she lashed out at BI officials for not having solid information on how dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo was able to escape with her siblings last year.
Citing information provided by their South Korean counterparts, Viado said Na misled his compatriots by directing them to invest in non-existent accounts.
He and his partners then withdrew the investments for their personal gain.
Na was previously arrested by the BI in May 31, 2023, and was held in the BI’s facility while awaiting his deportation.
However, his deportation to Seoul was deferred pending the resolution of an estafa case filed by a Filipina against him at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
The complainant, an owner of a small jewelry business, said Na consigned several jewelry pieces as an agent but failed to remit the full amount of sales despite several demands.
Na attended a hearing related to the said case on Tuesday but was able to escape using the court’s restroom.
Hontiveros also chided the agency for its apparent negligence in tracking the whereabouts of former Palace spokesman Harry Roque and his wife.
She added that the BI did not even know that three Chinese POGO bosses – Lyu Xun, Kong Xiangrui, and Wang Shangle – did not arrive in China after they were deported.
Hontiveros said the BI leadership should investigate its men who served as escorts of Na.
“Did he escape or was he deliberately freed? At the very least, this is gross negligence on the part of the BI,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“The bureau’s seeming – or deliberate – ignorance is astounding. While Filipinos are having a hard time passing through immigration counters, these foreign fugitives can easily slip past them. The BI has to seriously clean up its ranks, otherwise, fugitives can freely enter the country,” she added.
She said the country’s law enforcement agencies should immediately look into this, as fugitives cannot be allowed to freely roam in the country, and expressed disappointment over the BI’s constant dereliction of duty.
Viado said the BI is working with the police to track and arrest Na.
“We have also assigned a special tracker team to locate him and again take custody,” the BI chief added.
Viado said they are also looking for someone who helped Na in his escape.
“We are investigating if his counsel has knowledge of this seemingly pre-planned incident,” Viado said without elaborating.
“We will file charges against those who may have possibly aided in this incident,” he added.
During last Tuesday’s subcommittee hearing, Hontiveros said the BI should consider a total revamp “starting with the commissioner” if the bureau still fails to come up with detailed information on Guo’s escape and other pressing issues within 15 days.
