Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that they are working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate reports of ‘escorting’ at the airports.
In a statement, Tansingco said that they will be coordinating with the Justice Department to look into reports of facilitation of travelers with problematic documents.
The BI Chief made the statement following an interview with DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who said that the Department is investigating the possible resurgence of escort services offered by immigration officers at the airports.
Tansingco bared that there are a total of 72 pending cases before their Board of Discipline (BOD) against erring immigration personnel since he assumed office.
He added that apart from this number, the BI has initiated the filing of more than 100 cases before the DOJ. There are 73 employees who already received the decision on their case this year, which includes dismissal from service and suspensions.
Among these is a case of a male immigration officer who facilitated the departure of 13 Filipinos who later became subjects of human trafficking, as well as the case of another male officer who allowed the travel of a blacklisted Korean national.
Tansingco agreed with Remulla in saying that the issue of corruption in the Bureau is not an overnight problem. “This has been a long problem of the Bureau, and we are making significant strides to catch corrupt employees, and prevent other personnel from being tempted to go the rogue path,” he added.
BI works with DOJ in probing reports of ‘escorting’
He shared that his administration has a ‘one strike policy’, wherein any employee involved in controversies is immediately removed from the frontlines pending investigation.
Apart from the immediate punitive sanctions, Tansingco said that technological upgrades are being put in place to add another layer of security and prevent corruption.
“Ngayon manual pa rin tayo — a passenger has to interact with an immigration officer to be processed. But with the upgrades we are implementing, our operations would involve e-gates and artificial intelligence which would remove unnecessary person-to-person contact,” he stated.
The BI earlier reported that it has procured body cameras for their inspectors, which are expected to be deployed by the end of the year.
The BI’s Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) is also seen as an added layer of protection. Once fully implemented, the BI will receive advanced information about undesirable aliens and security threads even before their arrival to the country.
“Corruption has no place in the BI. Together with the DOJ, and with the use of technologies, we will weed out corrupt personnel,” he added.
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