One Direction Ordered to Pay Cash Bond to Philippines Over Drug Concerns
Popular British boy band One Direction was ordered to pay a cash bond to the Philippines Thursday to allow them to perform in two concerts in the country over the weekend.
The Philippine's immigration bureau ordered top British boy band One Direction to pay a $4,500 cash bond March 19 over drug concerns. The band has two scheduled concerts in the Southeast Asian country over the weekend, and the imposed bond was made a requirement for issuance of work permits in the Philippines.
According to the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, drug were concerns raised by one of the country's anti-drug watchdog groups fueled by 1D band members, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. The group requested a "strict scrutiny" of both singers after a video of the two shown smoking marijuana in a vehicle during their Peru tour surfaced and went viral online.
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"The condition is intended to protect the public interest should the band members commit any violation during their stay in the Philippines." Elaine Tan, spokesperson for the Immigration Bureau said.
Tomlinson, 23, will be joining the band when it performs at concerts at the seafront concert grounds of SM Mall of Asia, which previously hosted concerts for pop performers Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake.
However, news has recently emerged Malik, 22, will not be joining the rest of his band members for the Manila and Jakarta leg of 1D's 2015 "On The Road Again" tour. A PR representative for the band has released a statement on Twitter saying Malik had requested for time off due to stress and has flown back to UK to recuperate.
Unsubstantiated reports have also surfaced Malik had effectively quit the band after a scandal involving a series of photographs of the engaged singer and a blonde female named Lauren appeared on social media showing them clubbing at a nightclub in Phuket. The photos reportedly caused a rift between Malik and his fiancée, Perrie Edwards.
