De Lima: Next BI chief up to P-Noy

MANILA, Philippines -  It is up to President Aquino to appoint the next Bureau of Immigration (BI) head, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday, following reports that retired Armed Forces chief Ricardo David may be appointed to the post.

“I will defer to the judgment or prerogative of the President as appointing authority,” she told The STAR.

De Lima did not confirm if Aquino already approved the appointment of David as head of the BI, which is under the supervision of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Asked if she recommended or endorsed David to the top BI post, she did not answer.

David, according to a source of The STAR, will soon replace Ronaldo Ledesma, who was appointed officer-in-charge of the BI last July 28. He had reportedly accepted the offer from the Palace and may already start next week.

The BI is currently under fire following last month’s deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to mainland China despite pending cases involving them with the Court of Appeals and with the DOJ.

The summary deportation, which was ordered by Ledesma and approved by De Lima, caused tension between the Philippine and Taiwanese governments.

Meanwhile, De Lima announced yesterday that she has ordered the removal of Faizal Hussin as BI intelligence division chief.

“We are now scouting for a more appropriate official to head BI’s intelligence unit. Dapat maayos at malinis ang mga tao sa intel division (Personnel in the intel division are supposed to be orderly and clean),” she told a press conference.

De Lima decided to replace Hussin apparently after not being satisfied by his actions to curb the operations of human trafficking syndicates in the country.

“The intelligence division of BI should do more than what it has done,” she said.

Hussin, however, said he received a copy of a DOJ order appointing Ma. Antonette Bucasas-Mangobang as the new BI intelligence chief. Mangobang is the former BI-Airport Operations Division chief.

He said he does not know the reason for his sudden relief, and neither does Ledesma. He said he will ask the DOJ for clarification.

“I have to protect my right of tenure, even we in the government have rights and you cannot just terminate without due cause,” Hussin said.

Hussin has been with the BI since 1998 and has headed the BI’s intelligence division since 2003.

He said he had nothing to do with the deportation of the 14 Taiwanese to China last month.

Asked if he would ask why Hussin was relieved, Ledesma said “it is not my job to ask why.”– With Evelyn Macairan