The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has deployed additional immigration officers in Mindanao due to the alleged increase in the number of undocumented foreigners in the South.
Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. recently signed a memorandum order creating a border crossing coordinating committee (BCCO) that will oversee the fielding of BI personnel to border crossing stations near the country’s borders with Indonesia and Malaysia.
The memorandum also spelled out the guidelines for deploying the border crossing officers who shall be deployed in the South on a rotation basis.
No less than Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. issued a memorandum on Nov. 16 last year directing the BI to augment its personnel in Mindanao’s border crossing stations in view of the “alarming” increase in the number of undocumented Indonesians in the region.
David said the BCCO was formed to provide a mechanism for deploying the BI personnel in the border crossing stations.
He explained the committee will coordinate all of the bureau’s activities on border crossing and formulate policies and initiate policies on border control and security.
According to BI personnel officer Danilo Lopez, there are 25 border crossing officers, holding the position of Immigration Officer III, who are presently employed in the bureau.
Lopez said the border crossing stations are in Bongao and Turtle Islands, Tawi-tawi; Taganak and Balabac, Palawan and Batunganding and Tibanban in Davao del Sur.
Among other things, the committee was tasked to coordinate with Malaysian and Indonesian consulates on all border crossing matters and serve as the bureau’s liaison to regional offices and local government units in the border areas.
The main task of border crossing officers is to conduct immigration formalities on foreigners arriving and departing at the border crossing stations.
They shall also detect and monitor activities of suspected illegal entrants and illegal aliens; monitor human trafficking activities; adopt measures for apprehending human traffickers; repatriate or deport illegal border crossers, and effect the exclusion of illegal entrants and overstaying border crossers; and ensure compliance with guidelines for international-bound Filipino passengers.
