LOOPHOLES IN LAM EXTORT DENIAL

Dec. 14, 2016

LOOPHOLES IN LAM EXTORT DENIAL

I see gaping loopholes and ILLOGICAL ARGUMENTS in the denial by Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) Deputy Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles of their alleged extortion of P50 million from Jack Lam.

Argosino and Robles claimed that the money was for their assistance in the processing of Lam’s Fontana Leisure Park and Casino in Clark Freeport, Pampanga. Anybody correct me if I’m wrong but casino licenses are, and can ONLY be, issued by the Philippine Amusement andf Gaming Corporation (Pagtcor).  NOBODY ELSE. If ever Lam will bribe anybody to get a license for Fontana, it will be Pagcor officials. The BID has NOTHING TO DO whatsoever with casino licenses.

Argosino and Robles said they had decided to conceal information to themselves since they have only been with the BID and do not know whom they could trust. WHY DIDN’T THEY REVEAL everything to Justice Sec. Vitaliano Aguirre, whom they very know has control and supervision over the BID?  Didn’t they trust Aguirre, too? It would be both RIDICULOUS AND STUPID of them NOT TO REALIZE that they would be held criminally liable if they accept P50 million from Lam, even as part of their supposed investigation, WITHOUT INFORMING AGUIRRE or their immediate boss at the BID of their supposed true intention

Argosino and Robles claimed that of the P50 million they had received, P18 million went to BID intelligence chief Charles Calima Jr. and P2 million to former police senior superintendent Wally Sombero. If the money was supposed to be part of their evidence against Lam, WHY DID THEY HAVE TO GIVE P18 million of it to Calima? It’s nothing less than INSAN ITY for any investigator to GIVE AWAY part of the evidence to anybody not involved in the probe or for reasons totally NOT BENEFICIAL to the case. But they claimed that according to Calima, the P18 million was supposed to be for other people. So if Argosino and Robles are not really into something illegal and had nothing to be afraid of, there was NO NEED AND NO VALID REASON for them to share the supposed P50 million evidence with others.

If they had nothing to be scared of from Calima, they should have EXPOSED OR REPORTED HIM right away to their BID superiors for obstruction or unlawful interference in an investigation, Why didn’t they? 30