It seems that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are close to finding out who the "transporters" or facilitators were who helped 5 Chinese fugitives attempt to flee the country by sea. According to BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, the PNP has new leads about the people involved in the plan.
For context — the five Chinese Ying Guanzhen, Yang Jinlong, Liu Xin, Shen Kan, and Luo Honglin were caught on March 22 in Zamboanga. They were arrested by the BI intelligence and fugitive search unit, in line with President Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s directive for tighter border security. The group is said to have links to Lucky South 99, a POGO firm that was raided earlier for illegal activities.
But the story got more interesting. According to the Police Regional Office - Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR), the group tried to escape a day before they were caught. They were on a speedboat from Jolo but it broke down in Tawi-Tawi. They were accompanied by 3 Filipino boatmen, who said they were simply ordered to pick up passengers — they said they had no idea that the fugitives were on board.
People who help foreigners escape are called “transporters” — people who specialize in illegally crossing borders. This is similar to the case of “Fiona,”, who was involved in trafficking to Myanmar. As for the boatmen, they only know their contact by the name “Batman” — no last name, no other info.
A green substance was also discovered on the boat, which is being investigated to see if it is drugs. Currently, the 5 Chinese fugitives are at the BI Detention Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, while the deportation process and investigation into those who helped them escape are ongoing.
