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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Wednesday the hiring of 100 immigration officers to man the international airports and seaports nationwide. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente shared that the hiring is part of the agency’s drive to strengthen border control and improve its services to the traveling public. "We see the lack of manpower as one of the primary impediments in delivering a more efficient government service.

Through this hiring, we intend to provide faster and smoother processing in our ports," Morente said. He also disclosed that the Bureau of Immigration is continuously hiring to ensure that the upcoming new international airports are fully manned. Morente shared that the incoming officers, once hired, will undergo rigorous training under the agency's Center for Training and Research before deployment. "They will be housed at the the Philippine Immigration Academy in Clark, Pampanga where they will undergo a two-month training on immigration laws and procedures. After which, they will be assigned in different Bureau of Immigration offices as on-the-job trainees," he shared. Morente added that hired officers must pass examinations before being deployed. "We will only deploy immigration officers who will pass the immigration officers' course. Being an immigration officer is not easy both physically and mentally. That is also why we will only employ the best of the best," he said. It can be recalled that four months ago, the Bureau of Immigration deployed 67 newly-hired immigration officers to the country's ports and subports. "The 100 items are for Immigration Officer I positions with Salary Grade Level 11. You must be a graduate of a four year course, and have a Career Service Professional Second Level Eligibility from the Civil Service," announced Morente. According to the Bureau of Immigration, interested applicants may visit the website careers.immigration.gov.ph to lodge their application.

 

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INTRAMUROS, Manila--the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has placed its men on heightened alert as it braces itself for the upcoming South East Asian Games (SEA Games) and the holiday rush. According to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, he issued the directive following the expected surge of Filipino and foreign travelers in the next few weeks. "We are expecting up to 3% increase in arrivals and departures this holiday season. We are certain that there will be more tourists and balikbayans who will be flying in this Christmas," said Morente.

"Even more now that the SEA Games will be held in the country, we are projecting an added 8,000 delegates including athletes, media, technical officials, volunteers, fans, and audiences," he added. Bureau of Immigration records show that in December 2018 alone, more than 1.5M passengers arrived the country, while more than 1.2M left. Morente shared that many of these are Overseas Filipino Workers and Filipinos living abroad, who come home to celebrate the Christmas season. "Christmas is probably the biggest and most anticipated holiday for our kababayan, hence it's really part of the Filipino culture to want to be home for the holidays," he commented. Meanwhile, Bureau of Immigration Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina shared that they are again enforcing the 'No Leave, No Absences' policy during the SEA Games and holiday rush. "Our men have been instructed not to go on leave during the peak season to maximize our manpower," he said. Medina likewise reminded to travelers to "arrive early, at least three hours before your flight," and appealed to travelers to bear with build ups. The appeal came after a video of long lines at the Mactan Cebu International Airport made rounds on social media. "It was an isolated incident," said Medina. "Sudden buildups sometimes happen especially when there are delayed flights that arrive simultaneously, as in the case of the viral video," he explained. "We appeal to everyone to bear with us should there be some build up, which sometimes happen during peak seasons. But you can be assured that processing is now much faster following the numerous improvements we have implemented in our international ports," Medina added. It can be recalled that the Bureau of Immigration recently hired more than 600 Immigration officers to add to their manpower. Medina likewise highlighted the installation of e-gates which he said "lessens the processing by almost 6 times, lowering the regular 45 seconds to at least 8 seconds," “Our goal is to provide fast and smooth immigration inspection for the SEA Games and the upcoming Yuletide season,” said Medina. Morente reportedly instructed Medina to “keep a close eye on the immigration lines in all international airports to ensure they are minimized”.

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MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Immigration agents announced the arrest of a Korean national wanted by authorities in Seoul for swindling two compatriots of more than 100 million won. Bureau of Immigration intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo, chief of the bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU), identified the captured Korean as 49-year-old Kim Sang Wook, who was arrested on Tuesday in Malvar Street, Malate, Manila.

The FSU operatives were armed with a mission order from Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente who issued the same at the request of the Korean embassy in Manila. Raquepo said that a Korean court had issued an arrest warrant against Kim who is also the subject of a red notice from Interpol. He further disclosed that Kim was a teacher wanted for swindling his victims of 100 million won. Kim was reportedly found defrauding his victims six times by deceiving and promising his victims’ sons that they could be employed as teachers. Investigations revealed that Kim fled to Manila on February 2015 under a tourist visa and has not left the country since then. According to Raquepo, Kim will be deported, considering he is an undesirable alien for being a fugitive from justice. Morente then warned foreign fraudsters and fugitives staying in the country, “We are serious in our drive against undesirable aliens. We will hunt each one down, deport them, and bar them from re-entering the country,” he said. Kim is temporarily detained at the Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility (BIWF) pending deportation proceedings. Meanwhile, Morente lauded the improvements made at the BIWF. BIWF Chief Remiecar Caguiron detailed that the BIWF has undergone a total revamp under her administration. "Apart from improving the quality of our personnel through seminars on jail management and human rights, we have made numerous improvements in the facilities of the detention center," said Caguiron. "We renovated a lot of areas that were already old and dilapidated, and used the open spaces to create a multi-purpose hall," she shared. Caguiron clarified that the BIWF "is not a jail, but a detention center" where erring foreigners are temporarily held pending their deportation. The new facilities were made following calls to improve the conditions of the detention center. "The BIWF has a capacity of less than 200, hence it is quite a challenge especially since our intel has been conducting numerous arrests. The management actually is looking at the possibility of setting up another bigger detention center somewhere north of Luzon. This is part of our long term plans," she shared.

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