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Here is good news and bad news from the Bureau of Immigration.
First the good news: the bureau’s revenues
breached the P1-billion mark during the first six months of the
year, which is a record high.
The bad news is the bureau’s intelligence
chief who was allegedly involved in the controversial escape of
American-Vietnamese terrorist Vo Van Duc has been sacked over the
illegal arrest of a Chinese national in 2004.
Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan on
Tuesday said that the agency’s revenue take during the January to
June period reached P1.015 billion.
The immigration chief, a former lawmaker from
Leyte province, said this is the first time in the agency’s
history that the first semester income breached the P1-billion mark.
The first semester take by the agency is higher
by 36 percent or about P269.7 million from the bureau’s target of
P745.7 million, Libanan said.
Likewise, the P1.015 billion is 25 percent
higher compared to the bureau’s P810.4 million income during the
same period last year.
With the sharp increase in its revenue
collection efforts, the immigration chief said the agency’s is
just P456.5 million short of meeting its P1.47 billion revenue
target for 2008.
“We are on our way to posting another all-time
high income this year,” Libanan said.
The immigration commissioner noted that the
agency’s income rose sharply even if no increase in immigration
fees was imposed.
Intelligence head axed
In a 41-page consolidated decision, the Office
of the Ombudsman dismissed Faisal Hussin, the Bureau of Immigration
Intelligence Division chief, and intelligence officer Ansari
Maca-ayan, for arresting Chinese national Li Yong Cheng on June 26,
2004, without an approved mission order.
In the ruling, which was approved by Acting
Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro dated July 2, 2008, the court opined that
“records undoubtedly reveals enough reasons to convince us that
the arrest made upon the person of Li Yong Cheng violated certain
rules and regulations.”
There is enough evidence that both Hussin and
Maca-ayan committed an administrative offense, grave misconduct and
gross insubordination, which would warrant their dismissal from the
service.
Accessory penalties were also meted such as
cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of any retirement benefits
and absolute disqualification to hold public office.
Based on records, since Li had been subject of a
discreet surveillance, Hussin and Maca-ayan had ample time to secure
the required mission order prior to the arrest of the Chinese on
June 26, 2004.
The Ombudsman also pointed out the arrest made
on June 26, 2004, a Saturday, contravenes the circular issued by
then Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo, which states that
“no commitment order shall be issued on a Friday or any
non-working day unless extremely necessary and only upon order[s] of
the commissioner.”
-- Anthony Vargas and Jomar Canlas
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