Thursday, August 09, 2007
4 Japanese nationals voluntarily leave RP

THE four Japanese nationals arrested for filming a sex video on an islet
at the Hilutungan channel were deported to Japan yesterday morning, said
Bureau of Immigration (BI) 7 Director Geronimo Rosas.=20

Yokomizo Masashi, Takimoto Yoichiro, Izuno Ihirwaki, and Miyawaki Yuki
agreed to go on a voluntary deportation and took a plane back to Narita,
Japan.=20

=93For sure, they cannot come back to the Philippines, especially in Cebu
because their names are already in the blacklist=94 Rosas said.=20

He added that even if the four will return using different names, they can=

hardly pass the immigration counter because their pictures have been
encoded in the BI office computers.=20

The four chose to leave voluntarily than go through the normal process of
deportation, which involves conducting a hearing.=20

Their departure came as the Cebu City Council passed a resolution
condemning =93in the strongest terms=94 the scandal that the four Japanese=

nationals embroiled themselves in.=20

Upon the motion of Councilor Arsenio Paca=F1a, the council urged Reps. Rau=
l
del Mar (Cebu City, north) and Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south) to
sponsor a bill amending Chapter 2 of the Revised Penal Code.=20

It asked that penalties stipulated in the said provision, which sanctions
offenses against decency and good customs, be increased.=20

=93(This is) to protect the country=92s tourism image from repeated violat=
ions
by tourists who may take advantage thereof, due to the very light penalty
imposed for such offenses,=94 the council said.=20

Paca=F1a said the act has caused =93uproar among the largely conservative
Cebuanos for offending the sensibilities of the local community.=94=20

He considered it =93unfortunate=94 that after pleading guilty of violation=

Article 201 of the Code, the Japanese nationals were just fined with
P6,000 each, =93which is the lowest and lightest of the penalty range.=94=20

The council said that although tourism officials said that it was an
isolated incident, it should serve as a wake-up call for authorities and
the local community.=20

Police charged them for violating Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code.=20

They guilty and paid a fine of P6,000 each. (EOB/RHM)=20

Thursday, August 09, 2007
4 Japanese nationals voluntarily leave RP

THE four Japanese nationals arrested for filming a sex video on an islet