IMMIGRATION Commissioner Joey Anthony Viado said on Tuesday that there was a surreptitious attempt to release Tony Yang, the brother of Michael Yang, former president Rodrigo Duterte's economic adviser.
"It is a fact that, yes, there was an attempt to get Mr. Yang released on bail by virtue of a resolution which was drafted and passed during my absence. This was a clear effort to slip this resolution past me," Viado added.
He said he was informed of the resolution upon his return to the country, adding he immediately ordered its cancellation.
"Subsequent requests were made to me, asking me to reconsider my position regarding the situation of Mr. Yang. For the record, I stood by my position; Mr. Yang shall remain and still remains in detention," he said.
Viado said that while he treated the plot as an internal issue, he noted that he was determined to expose its perpetrators at the appropriate time and venue.
"There are matters which I believe must be addressed within the agency. As the saying goes, I do not wish to wash dirty laundry in public. It is disappointing that there are others who do not share that principle," he added.
Viado said there are powerful personalities within the bureau who are against him, whom he suspected to be behind the circulation of a white paper accusing him of corruption.
Yang was accused of involvement with illegal dealings of the now banned Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
Yang, also known as Yang Jianxin, was arrested last year in a joint operation by the Immigration fugitive search unit and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, upon his arrival from Cagayan de Oro.
Yang was facing deportation for alleged misrepresentation of himself as a Filipino and fraudulent certification of his company, Phil Sanjia Corp.
His Filipino employees have also filed complaints against him for non-remittance of their Social Security System, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth contributions.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said he was looking into the allegations of corruption against Viado, noting the complaints were hard to verify because the accusers were anonymous.
Several employees of the Bureau of Immigration have reportedly sent a letter to the Office of the President, accusing Viado of corruption, bypassing internal complaint mechanisms.
"Well, we're looking at it. But you know, it's hard to study a good white paper that was not signed and there's no specifics. But nonetheless, everything like this, we look into it and we will continue to do that," Marcos told reporters.
Viado denied the allegations.
"For the record, I unequivocally state that all the allegations contained in the alleged 'white paper' are patently false," Viado said.
"For the information of our media partners, we have already identified the parties behind this orchestrated and well-funded campaign aimed at shoving the agency into negative limelight once again," he added.