The European Union donated state-of-the-art equipment and gadgets to the Bureau of Immigration that will enhance the agency’s capability to detect, apprehend and thwart the entry of international terrorists and wanted foreign criminals into the country.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente received the equipment in a turnover ceremony held at the Malacañan Palace grounds.
Morente said he is thankful for the donation, consisting of more than 30 computer equipment and electronic gadgets and devices, saying “it will go a long way in enhancing our border security and bolster our ability to prevent the entry of undesirable aliens.” The equipment, he said, will be used by the Bureau’s Interpol unit.
He thanked the EU for extending its generous support and assistance to the BI’s efforts to acquire modern tools and equipment in order to boost its campaign against illegal aliens, especially in the different ports of entry nationwide.
According to lawyer Rommel Tacorda, BI-Interpol Chief, the donation is part of the EU-Asean Migration and Border Management Program II which the EU launched to assist the various Interpol units operating in the Southeast Asian region.
“This project, through the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime-Interpol National Central Bureau Manila, aims to support ASEAN in its integration process and strengthen networks and cooperation between and among law enforcement agencies in the region,” Tacorda said.
Meanwhile, BI OIC Deputy Commissioner Marc Red Mariñas announced that the BI Interpol unit has been reorganized and placed under the Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) of the Port Operations Division (POD).
Mariñas, who concurrently heads the POD, disclosed that he recommended the Interpol’s absorption to the BCIU in order to “augment standard operational procedures in our international ports of entry and exit in the face of existing threats to national security and peace and order.”
He explained that with the new setup, the BI-Interpol’s activities and operations will be closely coordinated with the POD’s intelligence group, thus bolstering the office’s capability to monitor, intercept and apprehend undesirable aliens attempting to enter the country.