BI employees thank President

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for allowing the use of the agency’s express lane fees to augment the salary and overtime pay of BI employees.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente expressed gratitude to the President “for his sincere concern for the plight of immigration employees.”

It may be recalled that Duterte, in his veto message regarding the 2018 General Appropriations Act, allowed the creation of a trust fund to be sourced from express lane fees.

This is until Congress has enacted a law to update the BI’s charter and upgrade the pay scale of BI employees. —Julie M. Aurelio