The Bureau of Immigration (BI) can help generate new government earnings needed to bankroll additional cash aid or “ayuda” for poor households reeling from the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan.
“There’s no question that the BI can easily raise between P10 billion to P12 billion in annual revenues, possibly more,” Libanan, who served as BI Commissioner for three years during the Arroyo administration, said.
The Department of Budget and Management earlier released P6.2 billion to pay for the initial tranche of the add-on cash grants to families listed under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, or the 4Ps.
“Before the pandemic, the BI already managed to produce P9.3 billion in revenues in 2019, up 32 percent from the P7.03 billion it collected in 2018,” Libanan said.
Libanan has revived the proposed Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act that the House approved on the third and final reading in the previous Congress, but which the Senate failed to pass.
As reintroduced by Libanan in the current Congress, House Bill 1069 seeks to reorganize and further professionalize the BI, upgrade its systems, and boost staff pay.
The bill also allows the BI to retain “no more than P1.2 billion” of its annual income so that it can invest in new information technology-enabled, revenue-enhancing automation projects, such as a fully online application and payment system that would eliminate corruption.
The BI generates income from visa processing and extension fees, fines and penalties, clearance and certification taxes, and immigration tax. The agency’s revenues go directly to the national treasury.
Libanan’s bill came as the government scrambles to fund additional subsidies for poverty-stricken households battered by soaring consumer prices.
The Department of Budget and Management earlier released P6.2 billion to pay for the initial tranche of the add-on cash grants to families listed under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, or the 4Ps.
According to Libanan, an Immigration officer gets lower pay than a police patrolman.
“The BI has been severely understaffed for years due to low pay. In fact, of the bureau’s 2,772 authorized permanent positions, around 27 percent or 745 positions, remain vacant up to now simply because there are no takers,” Libanan said.
“An immigration officer’s starting pay is only P27,000 per month at Salary Grade (SG) 11. This is two notches lower than a police patrolman’s entry-level pay of P31,320 at SG 13,” Libanan pointed out.
The BI generates income from visa processing and extension fees, fines and penalties, clearance and certification taxes, and immigration tax. The agency’s revenues go directly to the national treasury.
Under Libanan’s bill, the starting pay for an Immigration Officer 1 would be bumped up to SG 13 – matching that of a police officer.
Meanwhile, the starting pay of an Immigration Officer 2 would be raised from P31,320 (SG 13) to P36,619 (SG 15).
The pay of an Immigration Officer 3 would be increased from P39,672 (SG 16) to P46,725 (SG 18), while that of a Senior Immigration Officer would be upgraded from P51,357 (SG 19) to P57,347 (SG 20).
Under the bill, the BI would have a new Immigration Academy for career advancement and an Internal Affairs Service – a watchdog against illegal and unethical conduct by staff.
Attached to the Department of Justice, the BI enforces the country’s immigration, citizenship, and alien admission and registration laws.
The BI has a budget of only P1.59 billion under the General Appropriations Act for 2022.
