Immigration bureau up for nationwide reshuffle

Bureau of Immigration INQUIRER PHOTO/ ALEXIS CORPUZ

MANILA, Philippines-  Amid reforms following a recent change in leadership, the Bureau of Immigration will undertake a nationwide reshuffle of its ground personnel soon, acting Justice Secretary Emmanuel Caparas bared Thursday.

Caparas said the reshuffle of personnel assigned at ports across the country is part of a regular activity to revamp the bureau’s frontliners to prevent familiarity in their areas of assignment, which might breed accommodations and other irregularities.

“There are proposals on movements within the bureau and the proposals have been there for more than a month already. They are not big movements, but the bureau normally would shuffle people so there’s not much familiarity with the area, it’s just really to avoid untoward incidents,” Caparas told reporters in a press conference.

The movements will be seen nationwide, but Caparas said there would be a “focus on operations in Metro Manila,” where the country’s busiest airport is located.

“Again it’s just to remove familiarity and to be able to improve efficiency,” said the official.

In early January, Malacañang named former Deputy Executive Secretary Ronaldo Geron as the new BI chief, replacing Siegfred Mison, who has been implicated in illegal activities within the bureau.

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The National Bureau of Investigation earlier recommended that administrative charges be filed against Mison for the repeated escape of Korean fugitive Cho Seongdae, who managed to flee detention 22 days apart. He was wanted for human trafficking and extortion activities.

Caparas said that the recommendation of charges against Mison was already “mooted” with his departure from government service, but he said the case would still be studied. CDG

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