With President Marcos' removal of Norman Tansingco as commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Deputy Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado has been designated by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla as the bureau's officer-in-charge (OIC).
"It is essential that we assure our people that the services of our immigration bureau will remain uninterrupted and consistent regardless of any transition in leadership,” Remulla said.
“Hence, I entrust the stewardship of the bureau to Deputy Commissioner Viado, who I believe is best fit for the position,” he also said.
Tansingco was relieved of his post last Sept. 9. His relief was recommended to the President by Remulla who cited Tansingco's shortcomings as BI head.
During an interview on ANC’s Headstart last Monday, Remulla explained he recommended Tansingco’s removal due to “a pattern of behavior they have been carrying out for the past year or so about how they treat their job.”
“We have reminded, we have not been lacking in reminders to the immigration commissioner about these problems,” he said.
Aside from the escape of dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, Remulla said that “more than a hundred fake corporations were issued visas to be able to petition POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator) workers into the country and he didn’t do anything about it.”
“There are escort services existing right now in the BI where they escort people with red notices in and out of the country,” he also said.
“We are told about this through counter-intelligence reports because they will not tell us within the BI but we have counter-intelligence measures that we are employing to find out what they are really doing and that’s one of them, the escort service of wanted people,” he added.