In a new development in Rave's troubles to travel to their base in Korea, it has been alleged that talks between the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Rave are currently making progress and that legal action against BI has been announced.
In a new development in Rave's immigration situation, it appears that the problems could soon be resolved regarding Rave's issues in returning to Korea. The team were refused exit from the Philippines to return to their base in Korea in the past. It was stated through a Facebook comment by Rave's administrator Khatie Santos that Rave have had a talk with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and have come to a conclusion that Rave do not require an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) to exit the Philippines.
The issues facing Rave seem to have stemmed from a grey area in the law which concerns OECs. According to the press release the BI made in response to a statement by Senator Bam Aquino defending Rave, BI states that " the three passengers (ryOyr, Chrissy, Cast) traveling under Filipino passports carried Korean E-6 visas, which is a working visa issued for those who are seeking to make profit through entertainment, sports, and the like (which means an OEC is required as they are employed)." However, the counter point that can be made regarding this statement for Rave's situation is that the three players are technically not employed in Korea due to the team not having a sponsor and hence receive no salary income (only having tournament winnings to live on). Looking at the situation from this angle, an OEC is not needed for Rave. As mentioned before, the agreement from both sides is that Rave does not require a OEC.
Although it seems that both sides have come to an agreement, Rave's administrator has claimed in a comment on Facebook that they will take legal action against BI over this issue. The team have since been eliminated in the qualifiers of ESL One Frankfurt by Underminer (2-0) and Red Bull Battle Grounds by Team MY (2-0). With this issue nearly resolved Rave can focus on their other immigration issue. They still need to organize their visas to the US to participate in The Summit 3. The long delay in acquiring the visa has reportedly caused them to withdraw from Starladder 12 and MLG Columbus.
Source: BI's website, Facebook, gmanetwork
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