Former Bureau of Immigration (BI) commissioner Norman Tansingco on Wednesday, Sept. 11, expressed his gratitude to the administration of President Marcos for having allowed him to head the agency.
“It has been a two-year watch for me at the helm of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) under the Bagong Pilipinas,” Tansingco said in his farewell statement..
“Allow me then to express my gratitude to His Excellency Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr., President of the Republic, for the opportunity to serve under his Administration. The past two years have been filled with optimism, challenges and determination,” he said.
The former commissioner said he “welcome the next man or woman the President may put at the helm of the Bureau even as I assure everyone that the BI is currently manned by a corps of dedicated professionals.”
During his stint at the bureau, Tansingco said it has been “a focused yet challenging effort to address the various concerns confronting the BI, such as controlling the borders at the international ports of entry and exit, and preventing Filipinos from being trafficked abroad, among others.”
Tansingco pointed out that it was “a herculean task for an agency that is operating under a colonial-era legislation.”
Despite this, Tansingco said that he and the BI were “able to push the needed reforms despite the limitations.”
“The task is not yet fully done, but we have substantially begun,” he said.
The President removed Tansingco last Monday, Sept. 9, following recommendations made by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla.
Remulla has designated last Tuesday, Sept. 10, BI Deputy Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado as the bureau’s officer-in-charge (OIC).