Loren vows to help pass immigration law amendment

Senator Loren Legarda Photo: Joseph Vidal/Prib

Sen. Loren Legarda has given her word to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II that she would shepherd in the Senate a proposed measure amending the country’s 77-year-old immigration law to increase the basic salary of immigration officers.

In an interview, Aguirre said Legarda was “very much worried” with the exodus of Bureau of Immigration personnel who had opted to quit the government service after President Duterte stopped the payment for their overtime work last December.

The justice secretary said the passage of a new law and other institutional reforms in the bureau would address the mass resignations and leaves of absences of immigration officers, which had inconvenienced travellers at the airports.

Certify the bill

He, however, admitted that an immediate solution was needed to deal with the issue since the legislative remedy would take time.

“(Legarda) called me from Europe and she has some solutions. She told me to have (the President) certify the bill (as urgent) to fast-track its passage,” Aguirre told reporters after attending a gathering of state prosecutors in Pampanga on Wednesday night.

“She said it would trigger the action of the House and she will take charge once it reaches the Senate. She promised to work for its passage if the House approves it in May,” he said.

According to the justice secretary, the amendment in the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 was needed to adjust the current pay of immigration personnel, most of whom are receiving only P14,000 in monthly salary.

Overtime pay

Aguirre said Secretary to the Cabinet Leoncio Evasco Jr. had also expressed his support to the bill after Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno shot down his suggestion to again let the bureau use the money collected from the immigration express lanes at the airports for the overtime pay of immigration officers.

He said he wanted to discuss the situation with Mr. Duterte during their Cabinet meeting last Monday, but the Chief Executive left the meeting early.

Prior to the President’s order, immigration officers rendering extra work had been receiving as much as P48,000 in overtime pay.