08 June 2005 – The Philippine Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that they are arranging the repatriation of a Filipino national who has recently been freed after serving out his sentence of more than three years in a São Paolo jail for a drug-related offense.

Philippine Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i. (CDA) Zaldy B. Patron reported that they have tentatively booked for 12 July 2005 the flight to Manila of the Filipino national identified as Mr. Nelson H. Bumagat.

Upon the recommendation of CDA Patron, the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs and Office of Fiscal Management authorized the disbursement of US$2,050 chargeable to the assistance-to-nationals funds to cover Mr. Bumagat’s one-way ticket from São Paolo, via Frankfurt, to Manila.

CDA Patron reported that Mr. Bumagat contacted the Embassy on 27 June 2005 to inform them that he had been earlier released from prison on 23 June and that he was requesting assistance for immediate repatriation to the Philippines.  The Embassy immediately coordinated with OUMWA to arrange for the details of the Filipino’s repatriation.  The Philippine Embassy also offered Mr. Bumagat a stay at the Philippine Chancery in Brasilia while awaiting repatriation, but he declined and expressed his preference to stay at the house of his Brazilian friend in São Paolo.

CDA Patron informed that Mr. Bumagat entered Brazil from Bangkok, Thailand as a tourist and was apprehended by São Paolo airport police for possession of cocaine.  All in all, 3.30 kilograms of cocaine were found concealed in three sealed tin cans in Mr. Bumagat’s carry-on luggage.

The Filipino readily admitted to the Brazilian authorities that he indeed attempted to smuggle in the cocaine and that it was his first time to commit the offense.  Mr. Bumagat served a prison sentence of three years and four months at the Guarulhos Hubilia Adriano Marrey Prison in São Paolo for drug trafficking.

Meanwhile, CDA Patron reiterated the Philippine Embassy’s commitment to extending all possible assistance to Filipinos in distress within their jurisdiction and said that Filipinos detained in Brazil for drug-related and other offenses are regularly visited by Embassy representatives and are provided with basic needs such as toiletries and warm clothing.

The Department also reiterates its warning to traveling Filipinos of the effectiveness of global intelligence network and search operations in ports of entry to combat the illegal trafficking of drugs and the determination of governments to apprehend as well as prosecute those who  attempt to smuggle such items or serve as couriers of drug syndicates. END
 
 

/jay