Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente believes that the passing of the new BI law will solve alleged corruption in the agency.
In a statement Tuesday morning, Morente bared that the solution to issues plaguing the BI is to amend the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
“I have talked to the President and raised this concern to him as well. The Philippine Immigration Act is a very old law, 80 years old, to be exact. It was enacted during a time when there were no international flight yet entering and leaving the country,” said Morente. “Many of its provisions are already outdated and inappropriate already,” he added.
Morente said solving corruption woes in BI can be done in a three-tier approach.
“We have already done the first two,” said Morente. “The short-term solution is relieve all those found to have been involved in corrupt practices, hence we relieved all names implicated in the Pastillas issue, and implemented a one-strike policy for anyone who tries to follow suit,” he stated.
Last week, the BI chief announced that he implemented a one-strike policy, and will relieve any employee subject of meritorious complaints or issues, pending the filing of appropriate administrative charges.
New law will solve corruption in BI – Morente
“The medium-term solution is reorganizing the system,” he shared. “To add layers of checks and balances, we have transferred the supervision of the Travel Control and Intelligence Unit and the Border Control and Intelligence unit under a different division. This will serve as a sort of audit to the actions of those in the Port Operations Division, and dismantles any semblance of a central control of possible illegal activities. It adds more eyes watching and auditing the activities of airport personnel,” he added.
Morente noted that despite these changes, the real and long-term solution is the updating of the Philippine Immigration Act.
“We can remove people again and again, but the loopholes in the law remain. Quick wins may cure some symptoms in the anti- corruption drive, but a responsive new Immigration law may yet cure systemic problems that breed corruption,” said Morente. “The new law, which is already in Congress, will answer salary woes, remove systemic issues, plug loopholes in policies, update fines and penalties, ensure division of power, and confer to the Commissioner the proper disciplinary powers,” he stated.