The Bureau of Immigration (BI) employees who were suspended for their involvement in the so-called “pastillas” scheme must hurdle their pending cases before the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice (DOJ) before they are ordered back to their posts.
The six-month preventive suspension without pay has already lapsed but the Ombudsman’s preliminary investigation and the DOJ’s administrative proceedings are ongoing.
The BI employees are back at the main office but most of them have not been given assignments while their cases are pending.
“It’s up to the BI commissioners if they wish to give these subject personnel any new assignments,” DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters on Wednesday, adding they were not fired or dismissed “precisely because the investigation of their cases is still going on”.
Under existing Civil Service Commission rules, dismissal from service may be imposed for dishonesty and other major administrative offenses.
Both the Ombudsman and the DOJ may exercise their disciplinary powers after giving the respondents their day in court (except for) personnel who are on job-order basis only (and who) may be terminated immediately, the rule states.
Port Operations Division chief Grifton Medina, who was among the BI officials suspected of having received bribe money from travel agencies to facilitate the entry of Chinese workers, has not been reinstated, according to Guevarra.
The scam that was exposed last year involved rolled-up currency, which looks like the native milk candy “pastillas”, allegedly paid as bribe to immigration workers.
Immigration law
In July last year, legislation pushing for reforms in immigration services was filed by Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go who pressed for the updating of Commonwealth Act 613, otherwise known as The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
The proposal aims to improve guidelines on monitoring foreigners, such as for those who are entering the Philippines either for tourism or long-term stay.
Senate Bill 1649 will create a system of documentation and prescribe better procedures and requirements for admission of immigrants and non-immigrants.
Other provisions of the bill include providing for categories of non-immigrants and types of visas, such as temporary visitors, transit persons, treaty traders and investors, accredited government officials, students, pre-arranged employment, religious workers, representatives of accredited international organizations and government agencies, media workers, exchange visitors, refugees, and special non-immigrants.
“The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 is an outdated law passed during the American regime and the immigration system needs to be updated to reflect present challenges which confront immigration in our country,” Go said in a statement then.
Source: Philippines News Agency