MANILA — A Bureau of Immigration (BI) official on Thursday said the letter sent by the counsel of Australian professor Gill Hale Boehringer requesting to recall the exclusion order against the latter will be assessed by Commissioner Jaime Morente.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said it is up to Morente to decide on whether he will recall or not the order barring the Australian Professor from entering the country.
“The Commissioner has the power to recall or not the exclusion order against the foreigner,” Sandoval said in a phone interview.
In a two-page letter addressed to Morente, lawyers Edre Olalia and Ephraim Cortez of the National Union of People’s Lawyers requested the BI to allow the Australian national to enter the country so he can be checked by a doctor and rest until he is fit to travel.
“For humanitarian considerations, we pray that Mr. Boehringer’s exclusion order be immediately recalled so he can be checked by a doctor and recuperate until he is fit to travel back home,” it said.
Boehringer arrived in Manila at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 from Guangzhou, China past midnight Tuesday.
The foreigner, however, was denied entry as his name was included in the BI’s blacklist.
“He was also personally examined by Dr. Geneve Rivera Reyes yesterday, August 8. He vomited twice at around 12:30 noon. He has also history of an almost fatal pulmonary embolism. Aside from his risk of having deep vein thrombosis, he is currently suffering from cellulitis on both legs. His legs are also swollen. He was recommended to be examined by a medical specialist,” the letter said.
Sandoval noted that Boehringer is at the NAIA 1 and is set to board the next flight available.
As for his case, the lawyers said they are ready to face the case filed against the professor.
“We will also face the case filed against Mr. Boehringer as soon as we got hold of all the documents pertaining to his case pending before your office,” it added.
On the other hand, Sandoval said Boehringer was the subject of an order issued last year prohibiting Boehringer’s entry upon receipt of a report and recommendation for blacklisting from government intelligence sources.
He reportedly participated in a rally in November 2015 which is “in clear violation of the BI Operations Order prohibiting foreigners in engaging in political activities in the Philippines”. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
