MANILA – The hold departure order issued against Former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and former Bucor deputy security officer Ricardo Zulueta is now officially included in the Bureau of Immigration (BI) system, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Friday.
According to Tansingco, the Bureau received on Thursday the HDO issued by the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court last April 25.
“The HDO was immediately encoded in our centralized system and may be seen by our immigration officers at all ports nationwide,” he said in a statement.
“Should they be encountered in any airport or seaport, they will be prevented from departing without prior approval from the courts,” Tansingco said.
In December 2022, the BI also implemented a lookout bulletin order against Bantag and Zulueta, directing all immigration officers to closely report to the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation any attempt by the suspects to leave the country.
Both are being linked to murder cases including the killing of broadcaster Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa in October 2022. (PNA)
