The Department of Justice (DOJ) insisted that a low salary must not be used by Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel to justify initiating corruption.
According to DOJ Secretary Menardo Guevarra, salary grades in the agency “have not been upgraded for decades” and that might be one of the reasons “corruption have remained prevalent in that agency.”
However, he asserted that low compensation is not a “valid reason to break the law” and those who are responsible for the anomalies in their office will be “vigorously investigated and prosecuted.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros disclosed in a senate hearing on Tuesday that several Immigration officers have pocketed roughly P40B from the year 2017 gained from assisting Chinese nationals entering the Philippines and the departure of human trafficking victims.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has left the issue on the releasing of retirement visas to Chinese tourists even if they have not yet reached the proper age to the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA).
Report from Kenneth Paciente
