Rep. Salimbangon to look into visa requirement complaints

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Fourth District Representative Benhur Salimbangon is initiating an investigation on complaints regarding the requirement for visa applicants to submit a police clearance from their country of origin or residence.

Salimbangon said something is wrong with the implementation of this memorandum order wherein immigrant visa applicants, including those applying for temporary resident visas, are now required to secure police clearance from their countries.

Such requirement stunned an Egyptian national, upon learning of this new requirement, considering that this was never asked from him upon renewing his visa for the past eight years of living in Cebu.

Egyptian national Ayman Abdelmonem Attalla Nour, who is married to a Filipina, said that he has always wanted to become a Filipino but that dream is getting elusive after his status as temporary resident will be downgraded as tourist.

"When my father in Egypt died three years ago and I already stayed in Cebu for five years at that time, I did not even go to Egypt until he was buried because I do not want to cut short my plan to become a Filipino citizen. But now, I have to go back as a tourist. It breaks my heart," said Nour in an interview with The Freeman.

Nour laments that he applied for the renewal of his visa a month before expiration but it was turned down by the Bureau of Immigration in Manila after he failed to submit a police clearance from Egypt.

"It takes time to get a police clearance from Egypt. I ask reconsideration, through the assistance of the Egyptian Embassy, for BI to accept my application while my police clearance is being processed. When my police clearance arrived last June 3, my visa already expired," Nour added.

As a consequence, his status as a temporary resident was reduced to tourist.

"How many more foreigners in this country do not know this new requirement? I hope with what happened to me, many foreigners will learn from it," Nour further said.

Salimbangon said this is contrary to the country’s goal of attracting tourists and investors.

"This is contrary to the program of the present administration wherein it aims to attract more tourist and investment. Nour has been here for more than eight years and he has employing several people in Medellin and Bogo City, Cebu,” Salimbangon said.

Medellin and Bogo City are part of the Fourth District.

BI-Cebu alien control officer Casimiro Madarang admitted yesterday that he already received several complaints over the implementation this memorandum by Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David, Jr. wherein applicants for immigrant visas has to submit such clearance.

David in Memorandum Order No. RADJR-2012-028 stated that there is a need to ensure that applicants for immigrant visas have no records of any derogatory information against him in any enforcement agency.

The memo added that if the applicant has been in the Philippines for less than six months, he shall attach to his application a police clearance from his country of origin or residence duly authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate at the place of issuance or nearest to it.

Furthermore, if the applicant has been in the Philippines for six months or more, he shall, in addition to the police clearance from his country of origin or residence prior to his arrival in the Philippines, attach to his application a National Bureau of Investigation clearance.— /MIT (FREEMAN)