Immigration bureau reports higher income

CEBU, Philippines - The Visa Issuance Made Simple (VIMS) program that was initiated by Commissioner Marcelino Libanan last year did not only make the long bureaucratic process short, it also contributed to the growth of the income of the Bureau of Immigration (BI)-Cebu District Office.

The BI Cebu Office collected a total of P206,993,036.70 from January to June this year. The amount is already 60 percent more than their entire collection for year 2009, which was at P331,342,306.72.

BID-Cebu alien control officer Casimiro Madarang III attributed the tremendous growth in their income to the implementation of the VIMS.

The Visa Issuance Made Simple program cuts down the process time of visitor extension visa from five to six hours to as fast as four and a half minutes.

Because of this program, the Cebu Provincial Government, through a resolution, stated that the VIMS program will entice more investors in the country who had previously shied away because of the presence of red tape and corruption in the bureau. The VIMS project was designed to conform with the provisions of the bill that seeks to amend and replace the antiquated Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.

The BI Memorandum Circular No. MCL-07-005 series of 2007, prescribes the rules and procedures in the processing of applications for, and issuance of visa, change of immigration status, visa extension and other special permits before the bureau.

Madarang said that the VIMS program is also implemented in Bohol and in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. — THE FREEMAN