RP immigration bureau's revenues up by 31%

MANILA, Philippines - Foreigners entering and staying in the country remitted more than P800 million to government coffers during the first five months of the year, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said in a statement Friday. Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said that immigration fees earned by his bureau from January to May totaled P812.5 million, up by 31% or P191.8 million over the P620.7 million the bureau collected in the same period last year. The income was also P164 million or 25% more than the bureau’s revnue target of P648.3 million for the five-month period. Mr. Libanan noted that the bureau is now P659.3 million short of attaining its P1.47-billion target for 2008. The bureau posted its highest income ever in 2007, when it registered a take of more than P1.69 billion. "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 statement quoted Mr. Libanan as saying. Records showed that of the P812.5 million collected in the five months to May this year, P573.7 million was earned by the bureau’s main office in Manila, while P238.8 million was raised by the various field offices and immigration subports in the provinces. - BusinessWorld