The House of Representatives passed on third and final reading the New Immigration Act, which addresses the low salary of immigration personnel and deals with the growing threat of international human trafficking and syndicates that victimize many Filipinos.

Consolidated House Bills 339 and 1838, and 1666 and 4103 will be submitted to the Senate to be merged with a similar bill sponsored by former Sen. Loren Legarda.

The said measures creates the Commission on Immigration, defining its powers and functions; expanding, rationalizing and further professionalizing its organization; upgrading the compensation and benefits of its officials and employees; appropriating funds; strengthening, professionalizing and modernizing the Philippine immigration system, repealing for the purpose Commonwealth Act 613, also known as the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.

There is a need to transform the Bureau of Immigration (BI) into a semi-autonomous office with greater authority to oversee the implementation of immigration laws and policies, according to former Immigration commissioner and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

For his part, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said there is also a need to overhaul the 70-year-old immigration law and its regulations.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and Morente played key roles for Congress to prioritize the approval of the said bill, since events in recent years have shown many foreign nationals in the country have been involved in organized crimes, such as gambling, prostitution, human trafficking and drug trafficking, making the 1940 Immigration Law irrelevant with the fast-changing times.

“The seven-decade law does not meet the challenges posed by the numerous developments in technology and communication,” Morente said.

The BI chief disclosed that organized crimes created a general impression among Filipinos and foreign nationals alike that some foreigners have contributed to a sufficient degree to the rise of criminality in our country.