Senator Christopher Go emphasized anew that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) needs to modernize to counter corruption.
Go said there is a need to have additional personnel under the modernization program, as well as proper compensation.
The senator emphasized the correlation between low salaries, staff shortages, and corruption, as he emphasized the need for improved wages to mitigate these problems in the bureaucracy.
Go also noted past irregularities involving Immigration personnel, underscoring the urgency of reforms in the BI’s policies.
He said his vision for the modernization of the BI includes enhancing services for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), who often require guidance and support.
Go also criticized the exploitation of OFWs and the bureaucratic hurdles they face, emphasizing the need for proper guidance to ensure their safety and well-being.
Go earlier filed Senate Bill No. 1185, known as the proposed “Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act.”
Under the bill, coterminous positions are created for the Office of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners. New positions will also be created under the Directorate for Planning and Research, and Directorate for Human Resources Management and Development.
The creation of new positions under the bill, according to Go, could boost the productivity and efficiency of the BI.
The proposed measure also provides that the Commissioner may also make changes in the composition, distribution, and assignment of field offices, as well as its personnel, based on the demographics of the foreign nationals and as the exigency of the service requires.
The bill further seeks to improve the salary grade, emoluments, and other benefits received by the bureau officials and employees to “properly compensate their hard work and to address the apparent disparity among agencies performing comparable functions,” Go said.
If passed into law, the BI Board of Commissioners will be authorized to retain and use 30 percent of its collections from immigration fees, fines, and penalties, and other income that may be collected by the bureau every year.
An Immigration Trust Fund will also be created and sourced from the collections. Go also said that he is also pushing for the measure to address systemic issues, such as corruption in the BI, and other legal loopholes. This, after the “pastillas” bribery scheme in the BI, which allegedly allowed for the entry of foreign nationals in the country in exchange for money, was exposed in 2020.