1,074 posts waiting to be filled at BI

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is urging the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to fill 1,074 vacant positions instead of allowing employees to do overtime.

In a press briefing yesterday, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno told reporters that the BI has yet to fill more than a thousand job posts. “As of 2017, there are 936 new positions.”

The bulk of the new positions, or 887 jobs, is from the BI’s newly formed Ports Operation Division, which the DBM
approved last March.

The BI has a total of 2,764 job positions, of which only 1,690 are filled as of March 31. This is higher than last year’s figure of 1,828 jobs, of which only 135 were left vacant as of the end of 2016.

“They keep on complaining and doing overtime work and yet they have many unfilled positions. So there must be some deliberate attempt on their part not to fill up positions so they can continue doing overtime work,” Diokno said.

President Duterte earlier vetoed the use of express lane charges to pay for the overtime hours rendered by immigration officers and the salary of contractual employees, which has caused mass resignation of BI employees.

On average, the monthly overtime pay of a BI employee is P38,637. Diokno said this is well in excess of the allowable overtime pay for some BI employees. He cited salary grade 11 employees who have an average monthly salary of P19,620, which means an average overtime pay of P38,637 is double their monthly take home pay.

The DBM chief noted that it is a violation of Joint Circular No.1 s. 2015 of the Civil Service Commission and the DBM, which states that the maximum overtime pay is 50 percent of the base salary of the employee.

Diokno also said it is not difficult to fill the vacant job positions in terms of requirements.

“The requirements for these jobs are not very difficult. You do not need a Ph.D. to be an immigration officer,” he added.

Diokno also noted that only regular employees can render overtime.

“If you have a job order, or a confidential agent, you have no right to charge overtime pay. And if you refuse to report for work, if you’re a JO (job order) or CA (confidential agent), you don’t have security of tenure. You can actually be removed,” he warned.

“The creation of new positions will enable the BI to absorb the JOs and CAs, if they qualify, and regularize their employment status,” he added.

Law needed for BI overtime impasse

For Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, a new law is needed to solve the impasse on overtime pay of immigration officers that has caused long queues at the airport and puts national security at risk.

In an ambush interview yesterday, Aguirre said there is a need to expedite the proposed law amending the Commonwealth Act 613 or the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 rationalizing the BI by increasing its workforce and their compensation.

“We will fast-track the enactment of the new BI law. Of course, the President should certify it as urgent,” he explained.

But since the proposed law involves budget appropriation, Aguirre said the measure should pass through the House of Representatives first before it could reach the Senate.

The justice secretary, whose department has administrative supervision over the BI, also bared that Sen. Loren Legarda has committed to support the bill in the Senate.

“I talked with Senator Legarda about this matter last night. She called me from Europe and she’s very much worried. She suggested to have the bill initiated in the House right away and she will take charge when it reaches the Senate,” he said.

Aguirre said the proposed measure hopes to address the insufficiency in the workforce of the BI, which has been the main reason why personnel are forced to work overtime.

“Because of this vacancy of more than 60 percent, overtime has been the cure. Under the proposed new law, the express lane fund would no longer be needed because their salary will be augmented already,” he pointed out.

Administration lawmakers yesterday called on the President to reconsider giving back the overtime pay of immigration officers.

“While we respect the President’s power to veto any item in our national budget, we should also abide by laws specific to the BI. The Philippine Immigration Act protects the right of our immigration personnel to receive payment for overtime services. By law, our government is duty-bound to uphold such work benefit,” Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said.

Section 7A of the Philippine Immigration Act states that “Immigration employees may be assigned by the Commissioner to do overtime work at rates fixed by him when the service rendered is to be paid for by shipping companies and airlines or other persons served.”

Tiangco further pointed out that the government also needs to immediately address the issue of lack of immigration officers.

“We need to act on this fast to avoid further harm to our tourism and travel sector,” he added.

Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting said that the issue just shows that the “government has a lot to answer for regarding our labor laws.”

“As long as there is a legal basis, it (overtime pay) should be allowed,” he added.

MIAA workers man BI posts

Meanwhile, several workers of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will be deployed at BI posts at the arrival and departure areas during the Holy Week to assist in managing the queues, MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal said yesterday.

The MIAA has resumed its Oplan Semana Santa. Under the operation, beginning on Monday, strict measures will be enforced to ensure the safety and convenience of passengers going to and from Manila.

Coordination was also made with airlines regarding the efficient processing of passengers, especially at the check-in counters.

“We will also be setting up help desks on Monday at all international and domestic terminals to assist passengers, particularly those people with disability and elders,” Monreal said. – With Edu Punay, Delon Porcalla, Rudy Santos