Suspected fixers barred from entering BI premises

Close to a hundred individuals suspected of engaging in anomalous and unauthorized transactions in the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) main building in Intramuros, Manila, were banned from the agency’s premises. BI acting commissioner Ronaldo Ledesma said he has asked the bureau’s civil security unit (CSU) to strictly enforce the ban on 96 persons, some of whom, he said, were “notorious" fixers involved in faking immigration documents. The suspected fixers’ names and pictures were posted in conspicuous areas in the bureau’s premises, and guards have been directed to strictly prohibit them from entering the BI building or loitering in its premises. Ledesma said the crackdown is part of the ongoing campaign to rid the BI of corrupt and illegal transactions. “It is about time that we conduct a serious crackdown against these unauthorized persons who prey on unsuspecting foreigners with impunity to the detriment of the bureau’s reputation," Ledesma said. Ledesma said many of the alleged fixers had already been banned during the previous administrations, but the agency’s security guards have failed to strictly implement the order against them. Undesirable elements BI administrative chief Felino Quirante Jr., who prepared the list of the banned persons, said the move is aimed at ridding the bureau of undesirable elements. “These fixers have been the object of perennial complaints from the transacting public. Their presence here undermines our image as the agency tasked with processing the immigration visas and documents of our foreign visitors," said Quirante. Quirante said these fixers charge their victims exorbitant fee, while many have been notorious for manufacturing fraudulent visas and other fake BI papers for foreigners who have problems with their travel documents. BI-alien registration division chief Danilo Almeda welcomed Ledesma’s order, adding that the ban was especially timely as foreigners will start filing their annual report before the bureau starting January next year. Almeda, who supervises the issuance of the Alien Certificate of Registration or I-card, said the ban will also reduce the number of people loitering around the BI’s main lobby. “This will make our office a conducive place for foreigners to personally transact their business without hassle of being harassed or intimidated by nuisance individuals," Almeda explained. BI acting associate commissioner Alberto Braganza, who also supervises the CSU, meanwhile warned the guards that they will be held liable if the banned persons were spotted inside the bureau. CSU personnel who fail to enforce the ban against suspected fixers will be either suspended or dismissed from the service. - Jerrie M. Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV