Senator Christopher "Bong" Go is pushing anew for the modernization of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), citing the need to adjust the compensation of its workers to curb the challenges of corruption in the bureaucracy.
"Importante po ito, karagdagang personnel at ngayon po ay dapat ma-modernize na… kasama diyan ang karagdagang kompensasyon para maiwasan ang korapsyon (This is important, additional personnel and it should be modernized now...including additonal compensation to avoid corruption)," he said in an interview as he filed Senate Bill No. 1185, known as the proposed “Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act.”.
The senator emphasized the correlation between low salaries, staff shortages, and corruption, advocating for improved wages and additional personnel to mitigate these problema in the bureaucracy.
Go also noted past irregularities involving Immigration personnel, underscoring the urgency of the proposed reforms.
The senator's vision for the modernization of the BI includes enhancing services for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), who often require guidance and support.
He likewise criticized the exploitation of OFWs and the bureaucratic hurdles they face, emphasizing the need for proper guidance to ensure their safety and well-being.
Under the bill, coterminous positions are created for the Office of the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners. New positions will also be created under the Directorate for Planning and Research, and Directorate for Human Resources Management and Development.
According to Go, the creation of new positions under the bill could boost the BI's productivity and efficiency.
Under the proposed measure, the Commissioner may also make changes in the composition, distribution, and assignment of field offices, as well as its personnel, based on the demographics of the foreign nationals and as the exigency of the service requires.
The bill also seeks to improve the salary grade, emoluments, and other benefits received by the bureau officials and employees to “properly compensate their hard work and to address the apparent disparity among agencies performing comparable functions,” said Go.
If passed into law, the BI Board of Commissioners will be authorized to retain and use every year 30 percent of its collections from immigration fees, fines and penalties, and other income that may be collected by the bureau for the effective implementation of the measure towards modernization of the agency.
An Immigration Trust Fund will also be created and sourced from the collections.
In his previous pronouncements, Go said he is also pushing for the measure to address systemic issues, such as corruption in the BI, and other legal loopholes. This, after the “pastillas” bribery scheme in the BI, which allegedly allowed for the entry of foreign nationals into the country in exchange for money, was exposed in 2020.
“Matagal ko nang ipinaglalaban na i-modernize ang mga proseso sa gobyerno upang mas mapabilis ang serbisyo sa tao at matanggal ang korapsyon sa sistema (I have long been fighting for the modernization of government processes to speed up services to people and eliminate the corruption in the system),” said Go.