So-called Toy collector and former dancer, Yexel Sebastian, along with his wife, Mikee Agustin, have fled to Japan amid allegations of their involvement in a P200-million investment scam that purportedly victimized numerous overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) officially confirmed on Tuesday, October 10, that the couple has left the country.

As of now, there are no hold departure orders filed against them.

This abrupt departure followed a series of complaints against Sebastian, which gained significant attention after being aired on Senator Raffy Tulfo’s radio show.

Multiple individuals alleged that they had been deceived by the content creator, investing their hard-earned money in what appeared to be a Ponzi scheme, with the promise of earning interest after a year.

Tulfo recently urged the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and BI to closely monitor the couple.

Despite these calls, Sebastian and Agustin managed to leave the Philippines.

Tulfo expressed his concerns, stating, “Hindi ko alam kung ang may itoy tumatakas na a papuntang Nagoya para mag-recruit na naman ng mga investors” (I don’t know if they’re escaping to Nagoya to recruit more investors).

While in Japan, Yexel Sebastian took to social media to share his perspective on the situation. He claimed that he, too, had fallen victim to the investment scam.

In a Facebook post, he wrote, “Ayaw ko sana magsalita dahil kahit magmukha kaming masama at basura sa buong Pilipinas ay tatanggapin ko mai ayos lang ng malumanay at tahimik pero kabaligtaran ang nangyari naging sobrang ingay na” (I didn’t want to speak about it because even if we look bad and awful in the eyes of the whole Philippines, I would accept it quietly and peacefully. But the opposite happened; it became very noisy). Sebastian expressed concern for his family’s safety and explained that his loved ones were in distress over his, his wife’s, and their child Zyph’s safety.

According to Sebastian, he and his wife had been invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 7, 2022, for an investment opportunity initiated by a certain Hector Pantollano. The event took place at a “legitimate” casino in Clark, Pampanga.

“Legit lahat ang tao. at Legit ang Operation Hindi yan mapeke nang kahit sino dahil hindi ka magkaka branch sa isang Casino na Legal, para magka Junket kung illegal ito. Yan ang pagkaka alam namin lahat ayon sa nakita ng mga mata namin nun panahon na ‘yun” (All the people were legit, and the operation was legit. It cannot be faked by anyone because you can’t have a branch in a legal casino to have a junket if it’s illegal. That’s what we all knew from what we saw back then), stated the owner of Yexel’s Toy Museum.

He further clarified that they were only participants on that particular evening, and it was common knowledge.

The couple’s ability to elude the authorities, particularly the Bureau of Immigration, has left many netizens puzzled. The Bureau of Immigration has been known for off-holding Filipino passengers for various reasons.

One netizen inquired, “How were they able to get a visa for Japan if they were TNT (undocumented) there before?” Another commented, “Forever TNT na sa Japan” (They will be undocumented in Japan forever).

The escape of Sebastian and Agustin to Japan has sparked numerous conversations and speculations among the public regarding the circumstances of their departure.