The embattled immigration regional director Geronimo Rosas said his office now opens its records to public scrutiny to prove that the allegations have been baseless, as these have contradicted with the productiveness of his office.
As of last July, the Cebu office already generated P121.3 million in total revenues, which came close to last year's total income of P152 million and exceeded the 2004 total income of P118.3 million, Rosas said.
Rosas cited also the earnings from express lane fees, which he said already reached, as of last July, to P16.7 million-one of the highest among immigration offices. These fees are the sources of funds for the salaries of the bureau's casual employees, he said.
Rosas said the records would prove that the allegations of irregularities over these fees were without merit. "The documents will speak for itself," he said.
Three days ago, a woman claimed she was a liaison officer of an Australian and asked the Ombudsman-Visayas to probe the "recycling" of receipts at the immigration office that might have deprived the government of its supposed income.
The woman, a resident of barangay Basak, said her experience about anomalies in the bureau prompted her to report the matter to the Ombudsman.
She said that, last April, she applied for a two-month extension of her Australian employer's tourist visa. Fred Suico, a confidential agent and a long-time driver of Rosas, allegedly attended to her.
The fees were assessed at P7070 and she gave P7500 to Suico as payment, then she got her employer's visa marked for a 2-month extended stay.
The woman however said she was surprised to see that the receipts of her payments to the bureau were allegedly "recycled."
Rosas is currently facing two complaints at the Ombudsman on the alleged anomalies at the bureau. He said however that any probe is his chance to clear the good name of his office. - Gregg M. Rubio/RAE