MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) vowed on Tuesday to cooperate with the investigation to be conducted by a Senate panel on the allegation that some immigration officers are paid P50,000 by recruiters for each Filipino worker trafficked out of the country.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that the agency “will continue to implement the harshest penalties against anyone who violate their oath.”
“We will be fully cooperating with the investigation of Senator [Risa] Hontiveros as we share a common goal of eliminating corruption in the Bureau,” Morente said in a statement.
This was in response to the revelation made by a trafficked Filipina worker only identified as Alice in a video presented by Hontiveros, chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, in an interview with reporters earlier in the day.
Alice said she was bought by her Syrian employer for $1,000 and claimed that immigration personnel seek payment from recruiters to ensure a smooth transit of trafficked Filipinos to other countries.
Hontiveros said her committee will conduct a hearing to look into the outbound trafficking of Filipino workers.
Morente, meanwhile, said that the BI, an agency that is part of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, will “fully support” this investigation.
“This investigation is another step towards eradicating human trafficking from our country by finding its root cause, as well as cutting down any growth that may have emerged from this societal weed,” he said.
“As proven in the past, we will not hesitate to put to justice any immigration personnel implicated in trafficking schemes,” he added.
Morente noted that through the investigations of the Senate, Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Ombudsman, and internal investigations, 86 personnel have recently been suspended and are facing charges for allegedly being involved in anomalous activities.
“We have put measures in place to prevent illegal activities occurring amongst our ranks. Apart from internal checks and balances, several government agencies work hand in hand with the BI in protecting our fellow Filipinos from trafficking,” the BI chief said.
Morente assured that the bureau “remains relentless in its pursuit to eliminate human trafficking, with it being considered a modern-day form of slavery.”
“The consistent and unrelenting efforts to eradicate all illegal activities have been a commitment of the administration over the past 5 years. Admittedly, it’s a tough job, but we remain resolute and undaunted, dedicated to the complete cleansing of a Bureau committed to serve with professionalism and integrity,” he also said.
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