The House of Representatives unanimously accredited a invoice on ultimate studying modernizing the Bureau of Immigration (BI) by rising the wage of immigration officers.
This occurred after 287 lawmakers voted sure for the passage of House Bill 8203 which offers for the next wage will increase:
- Salary Grade 13 (P31,000) month-to-month for Immigration Officer 1 from Salary Grade 11 (P27,000)
- Salary Grade 15 (P36,000) month-to-month for Immigration Officer 2 from Salary Grade 13 (P31,000)
- Salary Grade 18 (P46,000) month-to-month for Immigration Officer 3 from Salary Grade 16 (P39,000)
- Salary Grade 20 (P57,000) month-to-month for Senior Immigration Officer from Salary Grade 19 (P51,000)
The invoice additionally authorizes the company to retain and use thirty 30% of its annual collections from immigration charges, fines and penalties, and different earnings that it might accumulate, supplied that they don’t exceed P1.2 billion.
Likewise, the invoice offers for the institution of an Immigration Trust Fund (ITF) which will probably be sourced from the 30% retained earnings and will probably be administered by the BI Board in accordance with current authorities auditing guidelines and rules.
The breakdown of ITF utilization as supplied beneath the invoice is as follows:
- 50% for the modernization of kit, services and places of work utilized by workers of the BI, together with capital outlay for the institution of latest buildings and discipline places of work;
- 30% for the cost of worker advantages and as could also be hereafter supplied by the BI Board with the approval of the Secretary of Justice; and,
- 20% for the additional professionalization of the staff of the Bureau via coaching, seminars and different profession development packages.
“This bill’s importance cannot be overstated, being one of the [agreed bills by the] Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). It will improve travel experience and at the same time tighten up our border security,” Speaker Martin Romualdez of Leyte mentioned.
“This measure is a long time coming, having been filed and re-filed for around 20 years. A lot has changed and this bill ushers the BI into the digital age,” he added.
Opposition and veteran lawmaker Edcel Lagman of Albay, for his half, mentioned the BI Modernization invoice is a very long time coming, provided that the prevailing legislation is as previous as a dinosaur which has already gone extinct.
“The law on the BI is of Jurassic vintage. It was enacted during the Commonwealth Period under Commonwealth Act No. 613, otherwise known as the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, or 83 years ago. There is an urgent need to modernize the BI to make it comparable with similar agencies in other countries and place it in step with the advances in communications and technology,” Lagman mentioned in explaining his help for the measure.
“It is also of critical immediacy to professionalize personnel of the Bureau of Immigration and increase their basic salaries to incentivize immigration officers and other employees of the Bureau who perform frontline services in various airports and seaports nationwide even during weekends and holidays,” he added.
Likewise, the veteran lawmaker cited that the Immigration bureau protects the safety and security of the nation from undesirable aliens and people with derogatory information, and is likely one of the major companies accountable within the implementation of RA No. 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
The BI is an connected company of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Several immigration officers have been on the middle of the controversy within the final 4 years over allegations of accepting grease cash in alternate of permitting entry of undocumented people.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
