BI workers appeal to Duterte: Save 1,000 jobs, save agency from collapse

Bureau of Immigration (INQUIRER PHOTO/ ALEXIS CORPUZ)

MANILA — Employees of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) appealed to President Duterte’s mercy and compassion in saving the agency from “collapse” and preventing the loss of 1,000 personnel, which would incapacitate the agency.

In an open letter to Mr. Duterte, “Appeal to our Beloved President,” the BI employees said that if the agency lost 1,000 personnel due to lack of funds and the non-payment of overtime pay, the remaining workers would not be able to efficiently secure the country’s borders.

The BI employees  asked the Chief Executive to intervene and stop the deposit of the express lane fund (ELF) into the national treasury for their sake and those of their families. The workers are hoping the ELF would be used to fund their overtime pay and other benefits.

“Our dear President, without your help about 1,000 of us or 40% of our workforce will automatically lose our jobs and will join the unemployed sector of our country. With a very meager pay, the rest of us will wallow in poverty,”  the immigration officers said in their letter.

They further lamented, “Our families will suffer tremendously. We will have very limited resources to pay for our monthly bills and rents. We will face extreme difficulties in providing for the basic needs of our
love(d) ones. Our children may not finish their education.”

Most of them, they said, have been serving as bread winners of their families and would be hard-pressed to make ends meet.

“With massive lay-off and exodus of personnel, our beloved bureau is in the brink of collapse,” the BI employee ssaid.

They said that the country’s airports, border crossing stations in the south, field offices and subports could end up “undermanned, or worse, unmanned.”

They voiced concern that apart from the long queues, caused by the shortage of personnel at the airports, the country’s borders could be vulnerable to terrorists and national security would be compromised.

“In the midst of our security preparations for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and other international events, we earnestly implore your benevolent assistance in preventing our imminent collapse,” they appealed.

They said that the express lane system, which has been in place for some 30 years, has been the “ultimate” source of compensation of the BI personnel.

“And only the passage of the new Immigration Act will answer the deficiencies that the express lane has effectively addressed,” they said.

They added that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed the legal basis for the use and disbursement of the ELF under section 7-A of Commonwealth Act 613 or the Immigration Act.

According to the BI workers, the DOJ has issued a legal opinion that a law specifically exempts the collections for overtime service under Presidential Decree 1445 or the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines.  They said ELF might not have to be remitted to the national treasury under this policy.

“In behalf of our families and children, we beg for your kind intervention to hold in abeyance during the transition period the deposit of the express lane fund to the general fund until an effective alternative can be implemented to address the issues on automatic displacement of 1,000 BI personnel, abrupt diminution in the
income of BI regular personnel and BI’s failure to effectively and efficiently perform its mandate,” they appealed.

The BI personnel closed their appeal to the President with, “Maraming salamat po Tatay Digong.  Mahal na mahal po namin kayo. Kayo po ang aming tanging pag-asa. (Thank you very much Tatay Digong. We love  you
very much. You are our only hope).”  SFM