Diokno stands firm on airport BI employees’ overtime pay

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Tourism raised concern yesterday over the negative effects that the row over allowances and overtime pay between the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Budget and Management would bring, but Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno stood his ground amid the feud with BI officers.

Protesting BI officers have not been reporting for work while others have resigned, resulting in long queues at immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals that both local and foreign tourists have to deal with.

Passengers have been advised to be at the airport four to five hours before their departure to avoid missing their flights.

“The effect really is the inconvenience that it brings… this kind of problem delays their pass-through at the immigration counters. The not-so-good about this is the first impression (of the tourists). First impression lasts,” DOT Assistant Secretary Frederick Alegre said during a forum hosted by dzRJ in Makati City.

Alegre said Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo sent a letter to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, appealing to immediately resolve the problem as thousands of tourists are expected to spend their summer vacation in the Philippines.

Filipinos also travel to various places during the Holy Week for vacation or simply spend time with family in their home provinces.

Alegre expressed optimism that Diokno and Aguirre would be able to resolve the conflict soonest. Diokno insisted the BI officers’ demands were illegal.

In a television interview, he said BI personnel should not hold hostage services at international airports and seaports by leaving their posts or going on leave.

He said the BI personnel had been receiving unlawful allowances that were up to 400 times their basic salary. “Civil service rules allow the payment of allowances of up to 50 percent of basic pay only,” he said.

Diokno added President Duterte stopped the payment of excessive benefits when he vetoed a provision in the Congress-approved 2017 budget allowing the continued use of the so-called express lane fund for the payment of allowances and overtime pay.

The express lane collections will have to go to the general fund that must be appropriated by Congress for specific purposes before they could be released and used, Diokno said.

But that does not mean the BI has no funds for overtime pay, he stressed.

Diokno pointed out the bureau has P245 million in the budget for compensation for service rendered beyond office hours.

“All they have to do is for the BI commissioner to request the (DBM) for the release of funds. But so far, no request has been made,” he said.

On Tuesday, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella blamed BI officials for the long queues at immigration counters, saying these officials should have taken advantage of the funds available for the payment of overtime services and the additional positions that have been created to augment the present workforce.

Diokno said in 2016 alone, the BI paid nearly P750 million for overtime work out of express lane collections.

If 2017 collections reach P750 million and the BI uses up its P250-million appropriation for overtime pay, this means that the government would save P500 million.

 With Edu Punay, Rudy Santos, Delon Porcalla, Christina Mendez