Michael Anthony Mabugat v. Immigration and Naturalization Service

This immigration case involves a ripple from the upheaval which led to the toppling of the Marcos regime and installation of the Aquino government in the Philippines in 1986.

I

In early 1983, petitioner Michael Mabu-gat, a Filipino, was employed as a “section manager” for Proctor and Gamble in the Manila metropolitan area. During that politically turbulent time, Mabugat became associated with the Unido Party. The Uni-do Party stood in opposition to the Marcos regime; its most prominent members are now the ruling leadership of the Philippines. President Corazon Aquino herself is an alumna of an Unido splinter group.

In the summer of 1983, Mabugat became involved in a scheme to divert money from Proctor and Gamble to his political party. Mabugat, at the behest of an officer of Unido, deposited 989,000 pesos (about 32,-000-38,000 American dollars) meant for Proctor and Gamble into a bank account bearing Mabugat’s name, and then promptly turned the money over to the Unido officer who masterminded the scheme. According to Mabugat’s testimony, the officer told Mabugat that the money would be returned to him in three months, so that Mabugat could get the money back to Proctor and…