Better immigration services pushed

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Christopher Go is pushing for the modernization of the Bureau of Immigration to improve the immigration services of the country and make these more responsive to new and increasing challenges.

Go filed Senate Bill 1649 or the Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act of 2020 which seeks to improve Commonwealth Act 613 or “The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940,” which provided the mandate of BI.

“I am pushing for the amendment of the old law to improve the services if the immigration bureau and to properly serve Filipinos and the country as the BI is concerned with entry, admission, stay and departure from the Philippines of all persons,” Go said, noting the original law was passed 80 years ago.

“It is high time to come up with an appropriate law on immigration services,” he said, admitting that CA 613 is “an outdated law passed during the American regime.”

While amendments have been introduced over time, Go said, “the immigration system needs to be updated to reflect present challenges which confront immigration in our country.”

The proposed law aims to provide improved guidelines to closely monitor foreigners coming inside the country, such as for those who are entering the Philippines either for tourism or long-term stay. For this, SB 1649 will create a system of documentation and prescribe better procedures and requirements for admission of immigrants and non-immigrants.

BI is principally responsible for the implementation of all laws, rules and regulations concerning entry, admission, stay and departure from the Philippines of all persons. Given the new and emerging forms of threats to Filipinos, such as child sexual abuse and cross-border terrorism, the law must now be improved to better deal with these, Go explained.

“The Bureau of Immigration is our first line of defense. The strategies of foreigners which bad intentions continue to evolve to take advantage against our fellow Filipinos. The government should be ahead of these unscrupulous individuals to protect Filipinos from terrorists and other crimes,” he said.  — Cecille Suerte Felipe

Other provisions of the bill include providing for categories of non-immigrants and types of visas, such as temporary visitors, transit persons, treaty traders and investors, accredited government officials, students, pre-arranged employment, religious workers, representatives of accredited international organizations and government agencies, media workers, exchange visitors, refugees and special non-immigrants.

He said an upgrade of their salary grades is indicated in the bill to provide proper compensation commensurate to their profession considering the changing times. Also included in the proposal is the prescription of penal sanctions for violations of immigration laws and rules.

Mask-wearing policy

Meanwhile, Go urged the government to enforce a strong mask-wearing policy in the country.

“Let us make this a discipline among all Filipinos as we continue our fight to stop the spread of COVID-19,” he said.

According to experts, wearing the right kind of mask decreases the risk of spreading the virus by 85 percent. With social distancing and the use of face shields, the risk may be reduced by more than 90 percent.

“This is why in the absence of a vaccine, wearing a mask remains a must. I also am urging the government to use its available resources to provide more face masks especially to the poor,” Go said.