THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) is reviewing travel records of individuals named in the second batch of the Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) linked to questionable flood control projects.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the bureau is awaiting the complete list of travel movements for those covered by the newly issued order.
“For the second batch of ILBO we received yesterday, we are still waiting for the full list of the travel records of the individuals stated there,” she explained.
Sandoval confirmed that all individuals included in the first ILBO, which covered 35 contractors and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, are currently in the Philippines.
Some of them traveled abroad in late August but have since returned.
“For the first batch that we have checked, everyone is here in the Philippines. Although some recently traveled, they left around late August, but they returned already,” she said.
She declined to identify those who had traveled, saying details would only be disclosed once a complete report is submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ announced Wednesday that Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had signed the initial ILBO covering 35 individuals.
The following day, a second batch was issued against 43 others allegedly involved in the anomalous projects.
An ILBO instructs immigration officers to verify if subjects have pending arrest warrants, legal infractions, or to closely monitor their movements if they attempt to leave the country.
However, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado earlier clarified that an ILBO is for monitoring purposes only and does not legally bar individuals from traveling abroad.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered a full probe into the controversial flood control projects after heavy rains left many areas submerged in recent months.
Separate inquiries are underway at the Senate, the House of Representatives, and several government agencies. Some of the projects under scrutiny have been tagged as “ghost projects.”