Tagged in 'pastillas' bribery, Aguirre says Tulfo sister pushed for easy visas for Chinese nationalsMANILA, Philippines — Former Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II tagged former Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, sister of columnist Ramon Tulfo, in the policy granting Visas Upon Arrival for Chinese nationals, a department directive supposedly used in the “pastillas” racket at the Bureau of Immigration. “As a matter of fact, I did that through follow ups and coordination with Tulfo’s sister, [former Tourism] Secretary Wanda Teo,” Aguirre said in a mix of English and Filipino. Aguirre said that there are “many other agencies of government” that wanted the grant of VUA to Chinese nationals, but he did not identify these. “Pastillas” racket whistleblower Allison Chiong claimed that the younger Mariñas took part in the bribery scheme that involved Immigration officers allowing “seamless entry” of Chinese nationals into the country for a fee. Tulfo meanwhile said that Aguirre is the “protector” of the syndicate while the the father and son hand a cut from the “pastillas” racket to Aguirre.

Source: Philippine Star March 03, 2020 05:15 UTC