Bureau of Immigration modernization bill approved on third reading in House
MANILA, Philippines — A proposal to modernize the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has been approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives.
During Monday’s plenary session, House Bill (HB) No. 8203 or the proposed Immigration Modernization Act was passed with 287 lawmakers present voting in the affirmative, with zero negative votes and abstentions.
If enacted, the said proposal would lay down the composition and qualifications for members of the BI’s Board of Commissioners, which would include “proven capacity for administration” to ensure that the agency is led by competent officials.
“The Bureau shall be administered by the Board of Commissioners, hereinafter referred to as the “Board”, headed by the Commissioner as Chairperson, and two (2) Deputy Commissioners as members, all of whom shall be natural-born citizens of the Philippines, holders of a college degree, with proven capacity for administration and, at the time of their appointment, at least thirty- five (35) years of age,” the bill read.
The proposal also stated that at least one of the board’s members should be a lawyer, and that at least one would also be from the BI.
Similarly, all immigration officers are required to meet qualification standards set by the BI and the Civil Service Commission.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that the bill’s passage is important as it would improve both travel experience and border security.
“This bill’s importance cannot be overstated, being one of the listed Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) bills. It is two-pronged in that it will improve travel experience and at the same time tighten up our border security,” Romualdez said.
“This measure is also a long time coming, as it has been filed and re-filed for around 20 years. A lot of technologies have changed in that span of time and this bill ushers the BI into the digital age,” he added.
Under the bill, the BI would have the following divisions with their own functions:
- Administrative Division
- Alien Registration Division
- Finance and Logistics Division
- Human Resource Management and Development Division
- Immigration Regulation Division
- Information and Communications Technology Division
- Immigration Intelligence Division
- Immigration Law Enforcement Division
- Legal Affairs Division
- Planning and Research Division
After the voting process, veteran lawmaker and Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said that he is happy to see the passage of the said bill, noting that he and other lawmakers have tried to push for the proposal’s approval.
“I was Immigration Commissioner under the term of President (Joseph) Erap Estrada from 1998 to 2001. When I became Congressman in 2007, that is about how many years ago, I immediately filed a bill to modernize the Bureau of Immigration, because really, it is Jurassic, it is obsolete: Commonwealth Act 613, 1940,” he said.
“But unfortunately we haven’t really been able to really push this and have this approved by the Senate. We also had before an approval but in the Senate, the Senators slept on this bill. We are here again, we are very thankful that the leadership has already included this for third reading,” he added.
Over the years, BI has been rocked by different scandals and controversies — from the “pastillas scam” where Chinese workers allegedly enter the country without stringent profiling in exchange for money wrapped like “pastillas”, to the more recent requirement of some BI officers for travelers to present yearbooks and diplomas.
Rodriguez believes the bill can address these ills.
“What will we achieve here? We are going to reorganize the staffing pattern and the officers of the [BI], make them attuned to public service,” he said.
