In my last column, I discussed the shameful activities of a key official from the main office of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), who, according to unimpeachable sources, is into the habitual, personal facilitation of Chinese nationals wanting to enter the country, using his position in government for his ‘friends’ smooth and swift entry.
Unknown to him, a group of immigration officers in fact went to my office in Manila City Hall to pour out their sentiments against their supposed superior whom they chided for using his powers for the wrong reasons.
Alongside this, some members of the Chinese-Filipino community in Manila have raised urgent concerns about reports of illegal entrants from China finding their way into Chinatown, which is located in the heart of Manila, in the historic Ongpin and Binondo areas.
Similarly, barangay authorities in Manila have expressed worry and the fear of having to suffer the brunt of anger from the public and their constituency because of the presence of such illegal entrants in their areas of jurisdiction, especially when these foreigners get involved in shenanigans and the blame is automatically put on the barangay leaders, to the point of them being accused as coddlers or harboring these illegal aliens.
I feel for our barangay leaders who have been doing their best to perform to the best of their abilities.
While they keep close tabs on their constituents, we cannot expect them to know the exact background of those residing within their respective areas of jurisdiction, specially in the case of foreigners. This job falls squarely on the shoulders of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
It is the BI’s primary job to stop in their tracks foreigners with shady background or those who may pose danger to the country in any way, from entering the Philippines.
Now if the said alien has no derogatory record or there is no reason to bar him from entering the country, why the need to facilitate his arrival? In the same breadth, why would he ask a key BI official to accompany him during his arrival? Why not give the immigration officers the freedom to do their job of determining if an arriving foreigner must be allowed entry or not?
Clearly, the presence of a key BI official accompanying an arriving foreigner sends the strong –albeit, wrong— message that the foreigner concerned must be allowed to enter without any question, unless the immigration officer processing him wishes to cross swords with his superior. It would be ‘suicide’ on his part.
They also live in fear that in case any of the aliens whose entries have been facilitated by the said ‘shameless’ key BI official commits a wrongdoing or an infraction of the law, their entry may be blamed on the immigration officer who stamped the said illegal alien’s passport.
Each stamp has a corresponding set of numbers that is exclusive to one immigration officer. This means if an alien commits a crime or is found to be a fugitive in his country of origin, the immigration officer who let him into the country can be traced through the stamp on his passport. The same immigration officer may also be blamed or even questioned.
Now, the immigration officers who visited me in my office are seeking help so that their voices of protest may reach the offices of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla and that of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr.
I join them in hoping that Sec. Remulla and President Marcos, Jr. may learn of the inappropriate activities of a key official from the BI and put a stop to it. It is tainting the good reputation of the BI and the uniform that its personnel wears in the performance of their duties.
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