By Benjamin Pulta/PNA
MANILA — Immigration officials will handle the incident involving actor Tony Labrusca who figured in a heated exchange with airport officials last week after he was told he will be only allowed a 30-day stay in the country, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday.
“We’ll have to refrain from commenting on the Labrusca incident as we do not want to preempt any action by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on the matter. In any event, any action of the BI on the case is appealable to the Office of the Secretary,” DOJ Undersecretary and spokesperson Markk Perete told reporters.
Labrusca apologized over an incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to an officer of the BI who had informed him of his 30-day allowable stay in the country shortly after arriving from Canada.
A US passport holder born in the United States of Filipino parents, the BI ruled that Labrusca was not covered by the balikbayan visa privilege given to former Filipinos naturalized abroad, and their spouse and children who are travelling with them.
