Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado on Tuesday welcomed the preliminary findings from the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights (SCJHR) indicating that there is no evidence linking immigration personnel to Alice Guo’s illegal departure.
Viado issued the statement following the Senate Committee’s ongoing investigation into Guo’s earlier escape.
During the proceedings, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) indicated that the most likely exit route was through a backdoor located in the southernmost region of the country.
Viado said that while private coastlines and airstrips are not staffed by the Bureau of Immigration and fall under the jurisdiction of local government units (LGUs) and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs), the BI remains highly concerned about the exploitation of the nation’s vulnerable borders by dishonest individuals.
Apart from wanted personalities, the BI also previously reported backdoor exits of trafficking victims, who end up tortured working in scam hubs abroad.
Viado also thanked the Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for efforts to curb illegal backdoor exits.
“The misuse of backdoor exits has reportedly been a tactic to evade proper inspection by authorities. We commend IACAT for uniting member agencies to effectively address this national security concern, he said.