Xian Gaza. Remember him? He’s that guy who put up a billboard asking Erich Gonzales on a coffee date. (You can read this to refresh your memory a little.) Since then, Xian has been caught up in all sorts of trouble, particularly in violating the Bouncing Checks Law. In his own Facebook post yesterday, he admits that he currently has three warrants of arrest and a 5-year sentence. He also claims that he was able to flee the Philippines despite this, recounting in detail how he did it last September 30, 2018.
According to Xian, he arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 at 4:40AM of September 30 with three tickets in hand: one to Singapore, one to Taipei, and one to Hong Kong. Allegedly, the Singapore and Taipei tickets were his “decoy flights” and he already checked them in online. He allegedlyt waited for all of the check-in counters of his Hong Kong flight to close, so that his name wouldn’t appear on the passenger manifest. At around 5:10AM, he claims that he created a bit of drama at the other counter to make it to the boarding gate via radio comm.
He shares that his plan was to be the last person at the boarding gate, so he didn’t rush through immigration. Nervous as he was, he faced immigration, who allegedly warned him that he has three warrants of arrest and that they are obliged to call the PNP and airport police immediately after he passes the counter. He then rushed into the plane and made it to his seat, but then airport police and uniformed PNP entered the aircraft looking for him.
Xian allegedly hid in the bathroom and locked the door, praying while having a panic attack. Soon thereafter, the plane was ready to leave and he assumes that they went to check his other decoy flights because, as he puts it, “advance ako magisip”. According to him, he made it out of the Philippines safely. Read the full story in his Facebook post here:
According to a statement posted on the Bureau of Immigration’s Facebook page this morning, however, it looks like Xian’s story may be completely fabricated. In the post, Dana Sandoval, spokesperson of the Bureau of Immigration, explains that Xian did not have a hit for an existing Hold Departure Order (HDO) or warrant of arrest, so he was not barred from flying out. She claims the conversation in Xian’s post between him and the immigration officer never happened, either.
“Booking numerous flights will not help evade police,” she explains. “Everything is recorded in our systems. With one click, you’ll know which flight a person really took.” All in all, it seems Xian’s flight was just a regular, ordinary flight. However, Dana says that the viral post is still a cause for concern and poses a security risk. “He is making a mockery of our airport procedures for attention,” she said.
You may read the Bureau of Immigration’s official statement here:
Knowing the notoriety of Xian Gaza, some netizens have pointed out that he probably just wrote the post in order to “get famous and become relevant again”. Xian, on the other hand, has already released an “apology video” where he says he never had any intentions of ruining the reputation of the Bureau of Immigration. He then ends it with the words: “If I have to face consequences for my actions….. Nyeam, I hope not.”
(If the embedded video doesn’t show up, you may click here to view it.)
