BI warns of ‘agents’ harassing foreigners

Tourists at Fort Santiago. ALANAH TORRALBA

MANILA, Philippines—The leadership gap at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) may be to blame for the extortion of foreigners by unscrupulous persons posing as immigration agents.

Immigration OIC Commissioner Siegfred Mison said Thursday he had received reports of persons claiming to be BI intelligence agents “going around, harassing and threatening foreigners with arrest and deportation,” after Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David resigned last week.

“It’s obvious these unscrupulous people are trying to take advantage of the transition in the bureau to make money from their unsuspecting victims,” said Mison in a statement.

Mison said his office was verifying the reports. He said he had not authorized an operation against illegal aliens.

He said the perpetrators could either be errant BI personnel or impostors who want to “profit from the situation” arising from David’s resignation, which has left the bureau without a permanent leader.

David quit after President Aquino publicly berated him over several incidents where foreigners as well as Filipinos involved in criminal cases in the country were allowed to escape through the airport.

Mison, who was appointed officer in charge of the bureau by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, urged those who may be approached by so-called immigration agents to contact the BI through e-mail ([email protected]) or on Facebook and Twitter.

“We have not issued any directives authorizing our agents to conduct operations since Commissioner David resigned last week,” said Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, BI acting intelligence chief.

Mangrobang said any operation conducted by BI agents without a mission order from the commissioner was unauthorized and therefore illegal.

Mison meanwhile warned immigration personnel assigned to the airports not to take advantage of David’s resignation and connive with human traffickers and illegal recruiters to sneak their victims out of the country.

He said immigration officers who give “escort services” or, at the other extreme, allow illegal aliens to enter the country would be dismissed from the service for gross misconduct.