The Philippines plans to deport at least two of the four Japanese nationals who are alleged as the masterminds of illegal activities in Japan, according to Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
Remulla said during a press briefing Tuesday that one of the Japanese may be deported by Wednesday and the other on Friday.
“Hopefully, we can deport two by the end of this week. But the other two, we will see how fast we can act on these matters. Because we will look at the cases pending before the different bodies in the other parts of the country,” he said.
“But my commitment to everybody is we will deport who we can deport immediately,” Remulla said.
The Japanese Embassy on Monday formally requested the Philippine government to deport “four people.” The embassy said it cannot give more details or the names of the suspects.
Remulla said the agency plans to end the deportation proceedings before the arrival of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Japan in February.
“Well, we’re trying to settle the case, to finish these cases prior to the President’s trip so this will not be the focus of media when he goes to Japan because this will be a distraction,” he said.
— Ronald Espartinez