Robin Padilla claims dragon tattoo is reason he couldn't leave the country

Robin Padilla said he could not think of any reason why he was barred from leaving the Philippines by the Bureau of Immigration, except for his dragon tattoo.

Tattoos, specifically dragon tattoos, have been in the spotlight recently due to Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's claims that presidential son Paolo Duterte is a member of the triad, a notorious Asian organized crime ring.

This, Trillanes said, could be proven by a dragon tattoo which, he claimed, Paolo has on his back. The tattoo is supposedly a known symbol of the triad.

Paolo said that he does have a tattoo but refused to confirm what kind. (READ: 'Ano kami, uto-uto?' Paolo Duterte's lawyer hits Trillanes)

Robin, who was convicted of illegal possession of firearms in 1994 and fully pardoned by President Rodrigo Duterte late last year, took to Instagram to express his dismay over the situation.

"Sa hindi maipaliwang na pangyayari ay hindi ako makakaalis ng bansa dahil ako ay may hold order sa Bureau of Immigration. Napakagulo ng naganap na ito sapagkat noong ako'y conditional pardon lamang kailanman ay hindi ako nagkaroon ng suliranin sa pag-alis ng Inangbayan pero ngayon na absolute pardon na ako ay ngayon pa ako nabiyayaan ng hold order ng BI."

(For some unexplained reason, I will not be able to leave the country because of a hold depature order from the Bureau of Immigration. This is very confusing because when I was still under conditional pardon, I never had a problem leaving the country but now that I've been granted absolute pardon, the BI chose to give me a hold order.)

"Baka pati ako ay TRIAD na rin. Naku po naman baka ipatawag pa ako ng Senado, aba'y hindi ko kayo tatanggihan game ako dyan. Nakapanghihina naman po ang binabayaran kong malaking tax kung palagi akong kasama sa usual suspect," he said.

(I might also be accused of being part of the triad. My goodness, if the the Senate calls me, I won't decline, I'm game to attend. The huge taxes I pay will make me feel weak if I'm always included as one of the usual suspects.)

According to an Inquirer report, BI spokesperson and lawyer Maria Antonette Mangrobang said that all orders against Robin were lifted after he was granted executive clemency in November 2016.

"Negative po talaga sa records ng BI Port Operations Division that Robinhood Padilla went through immigration procedure in the last 7 days, nor do we have any record that he was not allowed to depart recently," she said.

(The BI Port Operations Division did not see any record of Robinhood Padilla going through immigration procedure in the last 7 days, nor we have any record that he was not allowed to depart recently.)

Robin said he was invited by the Princess of Sulu to an event to celebrate the friendship ties of the Philippines and China. But when he got to the airport, he was surprised to find out he was not allowed to leave.