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Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente admitted Tuesday that the passage of the new immigration law could be the last remaining solution to solve the corruption problem that irritates the agency.
In a press release issued Tuesday morning, Morente said that the current Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 no longer responds to the concerns and needs of the Immigration Office.
Morente previously lamented not having disciplinary powers over BI staff, since “the power to hire and fire” rests with the Secretary of Justice.
“I have spoken with the president and have also raised this concern with him. Philippine Immigration Law is a very old law, 80 years old to be exact. It was enacted at a time when there were still no international flights entering and leaving the country, ”Morente said.
“Many of its provisions are already outdated and inappropriate,” he added.
The enactment by Congress of the Philippine Immigration Law, according to Morente, will be the long-term solution to the problem of corruption in the office.
He said that the approval of the law is part of the three-tiered approach that the BI has framed to solve corruption and other irregularities in the bureau.
For a short-term solution, BI has implemented a one-shot policy against BI personnel who are subject to grievances or meritorious issues, pending the filing of appropriate administrative charges.
“The short-term solution is to relieve all those who are involved in corrupt practices, therefore, we eliminate all the names involved in the ‘Pills’ issue and implement a one-hit policy for anyone who tries to follow suit” , he stated.
The medium-term solution, on the other hand, is the continuous reorganization of the system.
“To add levels of checks and balances, we have transferred oversight from the Travel Intelligence and Control Unit and the Border Intelligence and Control Unit to a different division. This will serve as a kind of audit of the actions of the Port Operations Division, and dismantles any appearance of a central control of possible illegal activities. Add more eyes that look at and audit the activities of airport personnel, ”he added.
Morente said the short- and medium-term remedies are now being implemented.
However, the BI chief expressed his belief that the real and long-term solution to corruption is the update of the Philippine Immigration Law.
“We can get people out over and over again, but legal loopholes remain. Quick victories can cure some of the symptoms of the anti-corruption campaign, but a new responsive immigration law can still cure the systemic problems that generate corruption, ”Morente explained.
The new law, which is now being prioritized by Congress, is expected to address salary issues, eliminate systemic issues, plug policy gaps, update fines and penalties, ensure the division of powers, and confer powers on the Commissioner. appropriate disciplinary measures.
It is also likely to lead to increased fines that will be imposed on airlines that will be caught bringing incorrectly documented foreigners.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque told a news conference Tuesday that the government is now considering “modernizing” the BI to mitigate corrupt practices at the agency.
Roque said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra appealed to Congress to finally pass the bill that amends the now outdated Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, which created the Commission on Immigration and Deportation (CID), which later passed to be called BI.
“Secretary [Guevarra] He proposed the approval of the law updating and modernizing the law created by the CID because it is a Law of the Commonwealth, ”said Roque.
This was confirmed by Guevarra to BusinessMirror in an SMS.
“BI modernization bills are already at committee level in both houses of the house, so it needs more momentum [to be passed into law]”Said Guevarra. With Samuel P. Medenilla
