Alien’s identity needs verification

This is in response to the column titled “Adding insult to injury” of Ramon Tulfo (Inquirer, 11/8/12). The article refers to the complaint filed in the Bureau of Immigration by former Trade Undersecretary Maria Teresa Cruz-Evangelista against a certain Muhammad Ali Nasser al Shehri, purportedly an employee of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Manila.

We would like to clarify: Tulfo’s statement that “the Bureau has yet to act on the case” is erroneous and misleading. The complaint filed by Evangelista was assigned to lawyer Ronaldo Deray of the bureau’s Law and Investigation Division. Deray has been tasked to investigate the complaint. In fact, records indicate that a letter dated Oct. 29, 2012, was sent to Evangelista regarding her complaint.

Based on the initial examination of Deray, no travel record exists for a Saudi national named Muhammad Ali Nasser al Shehri or Muhammad Ali Nasser al Shehri (the latter as denoted in the complaint of Evangelista).

Alternatively, records show arrival and departure dates for a certain Ali Mohammad al Shehri, with DOB (date of birth) 12/31/1959. Thus, there is still a need to ascertain the true and accurate identity of the individual concerned—and this has to be done either by the complainant herself or by the Embassy of Saudi Arabia—in order to afford due process to all parties concerned.

Also, Tulfo’s column suggests that the complaint by Evangelista appears to involve a case of grave threats, considered to be a crime in this jurisdiction. A complaint for deportation alleging a crime or a felony is immediately referred to the appropriate government agency pursuant to Rule IV of Office Memorandum No. ADD-01-004 dated June 7, 2001, pertaining to the Revised Rules for Deportation Procedures.

Considering that the complaint involves a criminal offense, a complete and final adjudication of the act complained of may be beyond the jurisdiction of this bureau. We are not authorized to resolve criminal offenses even if committed by foreigners.

Nonetheless, we assure the public that the bureau does not tolerate the presence of undesirable aliens within our borders. We shall not hesitate to perform our mandate and to impose the proper penalties in the interest of national security.

—RICARDO A. DAVID JR.,

commissioner,

Bureau of Immigration,

Intramuros, Manila