BI nabs American without working visa

[OceanBreezeInn]

INTELLIGENCE operatives of the Bureau of Immigration recently arrested in Iligan City an American national for working and doing business in the country without a permit.

Maclin Lanto, Immigration area director for Regions 10 and 13, reported to BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan that American Jeffrey Alan Evans, 47, was arrested inside the Internet cafe which he operates along Quezon Avenue, Poblacion, Iligan City.

BI Executive Director Franklin Littaua issued the mission order for the American’s arrest upon Lanto’s request.

Lanto said the American was caught in the act of operating and managing the Internet shop and was unable to present the necessary employment permit from the labor department and working visa from the BI.

Evans allegedly works as president and managing director of the shop called Team Sir Jeff, although BI records show that he entered the country as a mere tourist.

Lanto reported that the establishment also allegedly operates as an outsourcing services that recruits Filipinos for employment in the call center business.

The American’s arrest is another product of the regionalization program which the BI enforced to decentralize the bureau’s operations, including its intelligence and enforcement functions.

Libanan has instructed all the newly-designated immigration area directors throughout the country to be on the lookout for illegal aliens in their turf, including those who engaged in gainful activity without visa and those involved in criminal and other illegal activities.

Under immigration laws, a foreigner who was admitted here as a temporary visitor is prohibited from engaging in gainful employment without first securing the required working visa from the BI.

The said provision in the law is aimed at protecting Filipino workers from being robbed of their livelihood opportunities by foreigners.

Evans is presently detained at the BI detention center in Davao City pending issuance of a summary deportation order against him by the bureau’s board of commissioners.

Source: journal.com

Originally Posted by OceanBreezeInn

Source: journal.com

Would anyone on this forum like to know the truth of this story? If so just ask.
I am the American in question.

Originally Posted by OceanBreezeInn

Source: journal.com

INTELLIGENCE operatives of the Bureau of Immigration recently arrested in Iligan City an American national for working and doing business in the country without a permit.

Note: I have a Dole Alien Employment Permit. I am an applicant of the SVEG visa. (Special Visa Employment Generation) which requires me to build and operate a business before application is made. I must employ at least 10 full time regular Filipino workers and exercise managerial control among other requirements. Application for the SVEG was made on August 6. It was supposed to be approved within 15 days.

Maclin Lanto, Immigration area director for Regions 10 and 13, reported to BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan that American Jeffrey Alan Evans, 47, was arrested inside the Internet cafe which he operates along Quezon Avenue, Poblacion, Iligan City.

This is false. First I do not own an internet cafe. I own an Internet Marketing Outsourcing firm. Second I was not arrested in a cafe. I was lured to a bar and arrested coming out of the bar. This was approximately 5 blocks from my business.

BI Executive Director Franklin Littaua issued the mission order for the American’s arrest upon Lanto’s request.

Lanto said the American was caught in the act of operating and managing the Internet shop and was unable to present the necessary employment permit from the labor department and working visa from the BI.

Lanto never asked for any of this. His men tried to tell me the employmnet permit from DOLE was for locals only. Mine says non immigrant.

Evans allegedly works as president and managing director of the shop called Team Sir Jeff, although BI records show that he entered the country as a mere tourist.

This is true.

Lanto reported that the establishment also allegedly operates as an outsourcing services that recruits Filipinos for employment in the call center business.

This is partially false. This business is not a cafe or a call center.

The American’s arrest is another product of the regionalization program which the BI enforced to decentralize the bureau’s operations, including its intelligence and enforcement functions.

Libanan has instructed all the newly-designated immigration area directors throughout the country to be on the lookout for illegal aliens in their turf, including those who engaged in gainful activity without visa and those involved in criminal and other illegal activities.

Under immigration laws, a foreigner who was admitted here as a temporary visitor is prohibited from engaging in gainful employment without first securing the required working visa from the BI.

The procedures I followed are correct for the SVEG.


The said provision in the law is aimed at protecting Filipino workers from being robbed of their livelihood opportunities by foreigners.

The wrongful application of this provision is going to cost the 45 jobs that I have created.

Evans is presently detained at the BI detention center in Davao City pending issuance of a summary deportation order against him by the bureau’s board of commissioners.

I have been released under a habeus corpus order because after 11 days of detention the lawyers for BI could not explain to the judge why I was being held. They needed more time. So we will be back in court on December 2.

Jeffrey Evans