Immigration bureau reforms: Will Aquino take notice?

MANILA, Philippines – For alleged corruption and for failing to “improve their watch” over ports, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) was a subject of President Benigno Aquino III’s ire in his State of the Nation Address in 2013.

This is expected to change in his speech Monday, July 28, given the year-long purging in the immigration bureau.

Not for long after the 2013 SONA, then BI deputy commissioner Siegfred Mison was appointed as head of the bureau.

Admittedly, the lawyer and West Point graduate said during his appointment, “a change in culture” was needed in his agency. (READ: Exciting times for the Bureau of Immigration)

Just as the entry of goods in the country is mired with issues of under-the-table payments to Customs officials, immigration personnel are also exposed to individuals willing and able to pay to cut the red tape. Allegations of extortion by immigration personnel persist.

Mison then ordered the reshuffling of key officials in the bureau and terminated personnel implicated in irregularities, including case fixing, bribery, and extortion.

Bureau officials charged

Among the examples of incompetence cited by Aquino in his 2013 SONA was the escape of South Korean big-time investment scammer and fugitive Park Sungjun.

No less than the South Korean government asked at the time for the Philippines’ assistance in securing the arrest of the fugitive. Instead, he was able to secure a visa from immigration officers and get past airport officials unrecorded in immigration documents.

An ally of the Philippines, South Korea has been visited at least 3 times by Aquino in 2013 to attend to diplomatic talks on bilateral trade relations and defense.

Slamming the immigration bureau, Aquino asked rhetorically in his 2013 SONA: “How could the escape of the Korean Park Sungjun – as blatantly seen in CCTV footage – have taken place? He is wanted in [South] Korea…. How can we face them now, when our own government employees are the one who enabled his escape?”

Criminal charges, including bribery, solicitation, and violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act have since been recommended against the 4 immigration officers who allegedly facilitated his escape.

Aliens deported

BI records also show over 100 undocumented immigrants in the country have been deported since Mison assumed the top post at the bureau last December 21.

The first few months of 2014 saw 44 foreign fugitives deported to their home countries. They included an alleged member of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda as well as alleged sex offenders and rapists from the US.

More recently, the alleged Australian jihadist supporter Robert Edward Cerantonio was sent back to his home country for being an undocumental foreign national.

Scam uncovered, high revenues

Last May 5, the BI likewise uncovered a scheme by illegal recruiters providing domestic helpers with passports pre-stamped for departure to South Asian countries.

The BI found that the recruited domestic helpers attempt to no longer go through the formalities required for foreign travel, as their passports are already stamped hours before their departure.

Perhaps among the indicators of the BI’s improved efficiency is the increase in its revenue collection. The BI generated in 2013 its highest annual income since its creation in 1940 at P2.99 billion.

The record-high collection comes from immigration tax, fines and penalties for violators of immigration policies, and payments for the bureau’s services.

Modernization

Under Mison’s leadership, the BI likewise continued to embark on a modernization and automation program that involves ensuring its equipment and facilities are at par with international standards.

But the modernization stopped short at acquiring 230 new passport readers. The funding for the acquisition was taken from the 2013 budget. 

These passport readers are able to capture data automatically to prevent people using fake identities from leaving and arriving to the country.

A supposed P70-million allotment for the BI modernization program, however, was meant to purchase additional equipment, including 200 units of work station, 44 fingerprint scanners, 350 high definition webcams, and 10 document readers, among others, for 2014. The allotment was supposed to also fund 220 passport readers.

Sought for comment, BI spokesperson and lawyer Elaine Tan said no immediate records were available to clarify the status of the budget allotted and the impending purchase of equipment.

New immigration law needed

In Congress, a new immigration law has yet to be passed. The law would have replaced Commonwealth Act (CA) 613 or the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.

CA 613 is criticized for its antiquated provisions.

The decades-old law was passed during the presidency of Manuel Quezon, at a time when issues brought about by a highly globalized world were yet to be considered.

In a statement released on July 27, a day before the SONA, the bureau said: “A year has gone past. Mison has arguably succeeded where previous administration had failed.”

That, of course, is for the people to decide. – Rappler.com