Manila: A Senate panel on Monday took up proposed reforms for the Bureau of Immigration (BI), aiming to strengthen the agency and ensure it can meet the present-day demands. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado on Monday said the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, or Commonwealth Act No. 613, has served as the backbone of the country's immigration and border control framework for more than eight decades but is no longer responsive to present times.
According to Philippines News Agency, Viado emphasized that the proposed measure before the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, chaired by Senator Francis Pangilinan, is not a departure from the existing law but rather a necessary modernization. He highlighted that the challenges faced by modern immigration include global mobility, transnational crime, cyber-related fraud, terrorism financing, human trafficking, climate-induced displacement, and sophisticated cross-border movements.
Viado pointed out that the modernization of the bureau would enhance its legal authority, institutional capacity, and technological infrastructure. Currently, the BI deploys immigration officers across 13 international ports of entry and exit, several sub-ports and border crossing points, and 65 alien control offices nationwide. However, the limited number of personnel, including only 1,818 immigration officers, over 100 intelligence officers, and fewer than 20 fugitive search unit agents, is tasked with securing the entire country.
Senator Pangilinan acknowledged the necessity of upgrading the bureau more than 80 years after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1940. He stated that the pre-war framework is inadequate for addressing the challenges of the modern era. Meanwhile, Senator Raffy Tulfo emphasized the importance of accurate and efficiently shared data in strengthening border controls and government services, expressing concerns over gaps in data cross-matching and vulnerabilities in seaports and maritime borders.
The proposed Immigration Modernization Bill is among the priority measures of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., having been included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council legislative agenda for the 20th Congress.
