BI revamps 500 NAIA personnel
Published Feb 27, 2020 12:00 am
By Jun Ramirez, Marjaleen Ramos, and Genalyn Kabiling
Commissioner Jaime Morente of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) ordered on Thursday a total reshuffle of all immigration personnel assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) following the so-called "pastillas" scam.
Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente
(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) The revamp covered some 500 immigration officers (IOs) at three terminals of the premier port. Port operations division chief Grifton Medina was retained, leaving his fate to Justice Secretary Meynardo Guevara who signed his appointment. The BI is an attached agency of the Department of Justice. Morente said the personnel movement was in compliance with the directive of President Duterte whose intelligence sources confirmed the bribery scam. Whistleblower and immigration officer Allison Chiong told a recent Senate inquiry that he and some of his colleagues received bribe money from tour operators to facilitate the entry of Chinese tourists to work for the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO). Meanwhile, the BI chief said "these changes are part of the on-going efforts to address the recent resurgence of irregularities." He added that the management activated new protocols in the conduct of second inspection of travelers in open areas for transparency and installed more CCTV cameras to monitor activities of IOs. Morente assured the public that those linked to the racket have already been placed under administrative custody with cancelled privileges. "But we are duty bound to observe due process as we bring the said accused to the courts of justice." he added. Morente sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation in expanding the probe to include private entities that act as recruiters of aliens as mentioned in the Senate probe. Morente stays Meanwhile, President Duterte has decided to keep Morente for now but asked him to cooperate with the official investigation into the alleged "pastillas" bribery scam. The President said Morente must "tell the story" about the alleged bribery scandal hounding the immigration bureau amid the probes initiated by Congress as well as the Department of Justice. "I think there is going to be an investigation by Congress. I defer to Congress first before I make a decision. Parang wala masabi na kung ano man masabi nandiyaan siya. He tells the story from where he stands," he said in an interview with reporters at the Palace. Asked if Morente will stay in his post in the meantime, the President said: "Wala akong gagawin (won't do anything). Not yet, not after the investigation." For now, Duterte said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is also looking into the bribery scheme where immigration personnel were given bribes in exchange of the easy entry of Chinese workers in online gaming hubs. "I think the Secretary of Justice is also doing his homework at kung sino lang mauna but if there will be somebody who will tell me that these are the things which should have not happened or have happened," he said. Duterte also warned that more immigration personnel may be terminated for alleged involvement in corruption. He said he intends to hire topnotch replacements to fill the vacancies in the immigration bureau. "I am insisting on the ouster of all involved. I think we have terminated...but there will be more. I think meron yatang napaalis but they should be replaced. All of them," he said. Duterte asked the Civil Service Commission to submit a list of competent contenders to replace the immigration personnel who have been relieved from the post. "I am asking the Commissioner of the Civil Service to give me a list of first grade nung mga nakapasa, good records scholastically. Puwdeng ibigay yung pangalan (Give me the names). I will replace almost all of them," he said. (With a report from Ariel Fernandez)
Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) The revamp covered some 500 immigration officers (IOs) at three terminals of the premier port. Port operations division chief Grifton Medina was retained, leaving his fate to Justice Secretary Meynardo Guevara who signed his appointment. The BI is an attached agency of the Department of Justice. Morente said the personnel movement was in compliance with the directive of President Duterte whose intelligence sources confirmed the bribery scam. Whistleblower and immigration officer Allison Chiong told a recent Senate inquiry that he and some of his colleagues received bribe money from tour operators to facilitate the entry of Chinese tourists to work for the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO). Meanwhile, the BI chief said "these changes are part of the on-going efforts to address the recent resurgence of irregularities." He added that the management activated new protocols in the conduct of second inspection of travelers in open areas for transparency and installed more CCTV cameras to monitor activities of IOs. Morente assured the public that those linked to the racket have already been placed under administrative custody with cancelled privileges. "But we are duty bound to observe due process as we bring the said accused to the courts of justice." he added. Morente sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation in expanding the probe to include private entities that act as recruiters of aliens as mentioned in the Senate probe. Morente stays Meanwhile, President Duterte has decided to keep Morente for now but asked him to cooperate with the official investigation into the alleged "pastillas" bribery scam. The President said Morente must "tell the story" about the alleged bribery scandal hounding the immigration bureau amid the probes initiated by Congress as well as the Department of Justice. "I think there is going to be an investigation by Congress. I defer to Congress first before I make a decision. Parang wala masabi na kung ano man masabi nandiyaan siya. He tells the story from where he stands," he said in an interview with reporters at the Palace. Asked if Morente will stay in his post in the meantime, the President said: "Wala akong gagawin (won't do anything). Not yet, not after the investigation." For now, Duterte said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is also looking into the bribery scheme where immigration personnel were given bribes in exchange of the easy entry of Chinese workers in online gaming hubs. "I think the Secretary of Justice is also doing his homework at kung sino lang mauna but if there will be somebody who will tell me that these are the things which should have not happened or have happened," he said. Duterte also warned that more immigration personnel may be terminated for alleged involvement in corruption. He said he intends to hire topnotch replacements to fill the vacancies in the immigration bureau. "I am insisting on the ouster of all involved. I think we have terminated...but there will be more. I think meron yatang napaalis but they should be replaced. All of them," he said. Duterte asked the Civil Service Commission to submit a list of competent contenders to replace the immigration personnel who have been relieved from the post. "I am asking the Commissioner of the Civil Service to give me a list of first grade nung mga nakapasa, good records scholastically. Puwdeng ibigay yung pangalan (Give me the names). I will replace almost all of them," he said. (With a report from Ariel Fernandez)