BI collects more than P800M for first five months

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration on Friday said that it was able to collect more than P800 million from foreigners entering and staying in the country during the first five months of the year. The P812.5 million collection figure, according to Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, was up by 31 percent compared to the P620.7 million collection between in the same period - January to May - last year. Statistics from the immigration office of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) revealed that a total of 1,108,366 foreigners arrived at the premiere port from January to May this year, which is seven-percent higher compared to the 1,032,106 who came in the same period last year. The amount was also higher by 25 percent than the revenue target of P648.3 million for the five-month period. With this, Libanan is optimistic that they will be able to surpass its target of P1.47 billion for this year, as they are now only short by P659.3 million to attain the revenue for the year. “Chances are very bright that we will not only hit but also exceed our target this year if the present trend in our collections continues," the BI chief said. In 2007, the BI posted its highest income ever when it registered a take of more than P1.69 billion. Records showed that of the P812.5 million earnings, P573.7 million was collected at the BI main office in Manila while P238.8 million was raised by the different BI field offices and immigration subports in the provinces. He attributed the positive collection to the unabated influx of foreigners into the country and the reforms instituted at the BI wherein processing of visa applications have been simplified and expedited. Among the reforms being implemented by the bureau was the visa-issuance-made-simple (VIMS) scheme, which simplified the requirements and cut the processing time for visa applications at the BI by an average of 58 percent. - GMANews.TV