BI eyes amendment of immigration law, amnesty to illegal aliens
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will lobby for bills amending the country's immigration law and on granting amnesty to illegal aliens nationwide.
BI Deputy Commissioner Roy Almoro made known such plan as he said high technology and rise of new immigration-related challenges already outmoded Commonwealth Act 613, the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
He also said an amnesty is already due as illegal aliens continue proliferating nationwide, with the count estimated at more than double the 125,000 foreigners registered with the BI.
As of June this year, he said the country had an estimated 700,000 to 800,000 foreigners including tourists and business people.
Almoro said BI is aiming for Act 613's amendment so it can expand its authority by operating as a commission instead of a bureau.
"BI has 53 sub-courts and manages eight international airports so this is a big responsibility," he said at Saturday's Kapihan sa Sulo forum.
Despite such responsibiltiy, he said BI operates on a P360 million annual budget only but always overshoots its target, posting in 2006 total earnings of about P1.3 billion.
If the proposed amnesty law is enacted, Almoro said BI expects about 20,000 aliens to register with the agency as immigrants so they can legalize their stay in the country.
He also said BI aims to generate from this amnesty program some P9 billion from the P300,000 it'll charge each of these foreigners.
Almoro said BI already proposed bills amending Act 613 and granting amnesty to illegal aliens but the Senate failed to pass these.
He noted BI remains optimistic the 14th Congress will approve as soon as possible its legislative proposals.
Almoro warned BI will continue blacklisting and deporting aliens who are proven to have violated the country's immigration law.
He clarified BI will still proceed with its calibrated response strategy so illegal aliens' arrest will be based on formal complaints lodged against them.
(PNA)