The Bureau of Immigration (BI) commemorated its 81st founding anniversary by celebrating its resiliency amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
In his anniversary message, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente highlighted his gratitude to the employees of BI for their dedication in carrying out their mandate in the frontlines despite the risk involved.
The agency celebrated its anniversary through a virtual event on Wednesday. This year’s theme, ‘Isang Kawanihan, Isang Kabayanihan’ speaks of the agency’s drive to continue delivering effective, efficient, and innovative border management services that would serve as their contribution to the unified efforts of the government to fight the pandemic.
“We tip our hats to our fallen heroes, our comrades, who, in the performance of their duty, were hit by this virus,” said Morente. “We also salute the ones in the frontlines in our airports, seaports, and offices nationwide, as they continue rendering much-needed services,” he added.
Morente said that he is thankful that the bureau was able to accomplish so much this past year despite being plagued with controversies.
“While we faced many challenges, we have many things to be proud of this past year,” said Morente.
The BI reportedly fared well on recent government and non-government audits.
“We successfully hurdled the ISO 9001:2015 surveillance audit for our arrival and departure formalities at the NAIA and our tourist visa extension at the BI Main office. This proves that the quality of service that the bureau provides is at par with international standards,” said Morente.
Morente also shared that the implementation of the online appointment system as one of the key projects this year, that was activated to ensure strict social distancing at the BI’s headquarters in Intramuros.
“Our social media pages are also open 24/7, ready to provide information to the public, helping make our services more accessible,” he shared.
BI commemorates 81st anniversary, celebrates resiliency amidst pandemic
With intensified intelligence and monitoring activities of suspected foreign terrorists and those engaged in transnational crimes using centralized data bases, the BI was able to make 510 arrests in 2020.
The Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) also marked a breakthrough in 2020, when it was approved for implementation by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte under Executive Order no. 122, series of 2020.
Also significant was the successful hosting of the 24th Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (DGICM), an annual meeting of ASEAN immigration and consular heads, which was held virtually in August.
“These milestones are solid indicators of the work and dedication that we have put in,” said Morente. “With a singular goal to serve with purpose, we have stood firm and undaunted at the frontlines throughout this pandemic,” said Morente.
He urged employees of the BI to stand tall and serve with excellence, as well as work even harder to sustain the gains of the agency’s reform.
“We will be pushing for more innovations in the days to come, and by staying focused on this goal, we see a brighter future for the Bureau,” said Morente.
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