Immigration bureau nets P2 billion in 2009

MANILA, Philippines - The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced Friday that it posted an income of more than P2 billion for 2009.

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan disclosed that as of Dec. 23, the bureau’s take stood at P2.019 billion.

“We have made history again as statistics from our finance and management division showed that we have reached the P2-billion collection,” Libanan said, adding that the agency is set to surpass the 2008 collection of P2.111 billion.

Libanan revealed the bulk of the 2009 collection was made from the bureau’s main office, noting that there were substantial increases in the collections from other BI field offices and subports as foreigners choose to update their immigration status in cities or provinces where they stay.

He also said that P1.292 billion were collected in the main office while subports raked in P683 million.

It was in 2009 when Libanan instituted the establishment of immigration area offices (IAOs) and satellite offices throughout the country, as part of the bureau’s decentralization program.

Libanan added that 2009 is another banner year for the bureau not only in helping the National Government financed its various projects and programs but also in improving its services to the general public.

He said 2009 saw the birth of the special visa for employment generation (SVEG) where foreigners can stay in the country indefinitely provided that they employ at least 10 Filipino workers.

Records showed that the bureau collected a total of P2,019,928,690 as of Dec. 23, which is 5.14 percent or P98 million more than the target collection of P1.921 billion.

Elvira Presado, chief of the finance and management division, said she is confident that the bureau will exceed its 2008 actual collection by several millions of pesos after collection reports from field offices and subports in the provinces come in.

Presado said her office has yet to receive collection reports from the main office during the last working days of 2009, thus, she is expecting a total income of P2.114 billion for 2009.

She added that the bureau’s yearly take has steadily increased since 2002, thus making the bureau one of the top revenue generating agencies of government.

“The bureau posted an income of P1.07 billion in 2002; P1.9 billion in 2003; P1.109 billion in 2004; P1.27 billion in 2005; P1.468 billion in 2006; and P1.747 billion in 2007,” Presado said in her report to Libanan.

Presado said the bureau’s take was highest in January last year when it collected more than P216 million and also in January when it collected a total of P187 million.

Income records also showed that the bureau collected almost P44 million from the fees paid by foreigners who were issued their Alien Certification Registration (ACR) I-Cards.