Bureau of Immigration designing automated case tracking system

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will adopt an automated system of recording, documenting and monitoring the status of deportation cases filed against aliens for violating Philippine immigration laws. Immigration officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma ordered lawyer Edy Donato, officer-in-charge of the law investigation division (LID), to come up with a new system so that deportation cases are easily monitored and immediately resolved. Donato said he already requested the BI computer section to design software for the new system to comply with Ledesma’s directive. Ledesma said he issued the directive due to mounting complaints from lawyers and relatives of detained foreigners over the alleged slow pace of deportation proceedings in the BI. “We have to come up with a more effective and efficient system of tracing and monitoring the status of our deportation cases, lest we be accused of denying swift justice to these foreigners," Ledesma said. Donato echoed Ledesma’s sentiment, saying it is about time that the bureau adopts a modern and faster process of dispensing justice to aliens who are arrested, detained and charged for violating the country’s immigration laws. There are more than 80 deportation cases pending before the BI law and investigation division and awaiting resolution by the BI board of commissioners. Under existing rules, BI legal officers act as prosecutors who conduct preliminary investigation on the cases of arrested aliens. If evidence warrants, the foreigners are charged before the BI board of commissioners that will rule either to dismiss the case or find the aliens guilty and order their deportation. The foreigners are detained at the immigration jail in Bicutan, Taguig City while their cases are ongoing. - TJD, GMANews.TV