The Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) has barred from renetering the country a Spaniard involved in an encounter with Makati City policemen that went viral on social media.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered the inclusion of Javier Salvador Parra, 49, last June 3 after he left the the country three days after the incident that happened last April 26.
Parra had a violent altercation and eluded arrest by policemen who minutes earlier accosted his househelp for not wearing a face mask while outside their home in Dasmarinas Village.
"Now that he has been placed in our Immigration blacklist he is now perpetually banned from reentering the Philippines for being an undesirable alien," Morente said.
"Foreigners who disrespect our laws and persons of authority do not deserve the privilege to stay in our country." BI Chief said he issued the blacklist order against Parra to "serve notice and warn other aliens sojourning in the country that they should not flaunt our laws and insult our policemen who are merely enforcing our laws on those who violate it."
According to BI intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr., Parra departed the country last April 29 aboard a Qatar Airways flight to Doha enroute to Madrid. He further said Parra was allowed to leave since there were no formal charges yet that were filed against him in court or by the BI which was then investigating and conducting a case buildup against him.
Parra was reportedly given until May 21 to submit his counter-affidavit with the notice asking him to answer the allegations against him served at his residence which he apparently ignored, thus prompting the BI to charge him for deportation on the ground of undesirability.
"Even when he out of the country he could still file his answer to the allegations by engaging the services of a lawyer who could submit a counter-affidavit on his behalf. It was obvious that he really intended to disregard the notice by just ignoring it," Manahan said. Viral videos showed that after the Makati policemen accosted the househelp, Parra went out of the house and confronted and hurled expletives at the lawmen. The policemen attempted to arrest Parra but he managed to free himself and ran towards inside his house. It was also reported that the police have filed a separate criminal complaints for several offenses against the Spaniard before the Makati prosecutor's office.