Officials and employees of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) expressed their gratitude to the Senate for the assurances that it will approved the proposed new Philippine Immigration Law before the present Congress adjourns its current session in June.
“I join the rank and file in expressing our appreciation to the Senate Committee on Justice, chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon, for conducting the hearing last Wednesday on the proposed legislation," BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said.
During the panel deliberation, Gordon said the Senate version of the bill will be passed during the plenary session.
Morente stressed that the enactment of a new immigration law is long overdue as the BI continues to operate based on Commonwealth Act No. 613 which was passed 82 years ago.
Morente said he is confident there is still ample time for both the Senate and the House to pass the new Immigration bill and have it signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The proposed legislation seeks to upgrade the take home pay of workers at par with other government offices performing sensitive and critical functions.
It also gives the BI head the power to discipline erring employees which task is done by the Department of Justice, the mother unit of the BI.
It has also provisions for the issuance of various types of visas for foreign nationals.
"A new immigration law will enable the bureau to perform it's mandate effectively due to the changing immigration landscape," Morente said.