Not welcome here
According to the Fugitive Search Unit of the Bureau of Immigration, South Koreans made up most of the 128 foreign fugitives arrested hiding in the Philippines last year.
A report in the Philstar.com said that number consisted of 39 South Koreans, 25 Chinese, 15 Vietnamese, 12 Taiwanese, 11 Americans, and eight Japanese fugitives, among other nationalities.
Taking into account the wanted Chinese criminals arrested here last year running offshore gaming operations, Japanese criminals wanted for robbery, and suspected Indian extremists arrested last year, this is quite a concerning development. Now it’s the South Korean criminals who they think are safe here.
It would seem that the Philippines is becoming more attractive to those who want to escape from justice in their native countries. We wonder why this is so.
Is it because our Immigration officials are reputed to willingly look the other way in exchange for “pastillas”? Or because some of our law enforcers are part of criminal syndicates themselves and can offer them protection?
Or is it because some citizens become willing participants in their criminal enterprises in exchange for a cut of the action? Or that the justice system takes too long to punish the guilty? Perhaps some combination of or all of the above?
We must do everything we can to make our country unattractive, difficult, and even downright hostile to foreign criminals while at the same time making it appealing, desirable, and attractive to foreign tourists.
Of course, those seeking political asylum and may have been charged for “crimes” are an entirely different matter. For this instance we are talking about foreigners with criminal bent who just want to get away or worse, make their own little haven where can continue to make illegal profit and where the law can’t touch them.
It really doesn’t matter whether they are Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Americans, Japanese, or any other nationality; if they are wanted for a crime in their native country they should not be welcome here.