BI chief hails system integration

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado stated on Monday that the agency’s effective system integration with the Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is a major step in reducing the spread of fraudulent documents.

Atty. Viado shared that the joint system with said agencies was instrumental in flagging attempts to use fraudulent documents for travel. He added that the system integration is in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s order to streamline processes and improve interagency connectivity.

A 30-year-old woman was the first victim, according to a report from the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section, who was stopped last 4 February before she could board a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Nagoya, Japan.

Viado claimed that the female passenger allegedly presented a CFO certificate, but the BI-CFO system easily verified that it was unregistered or fake. The said certificate is a required document by the CFO for first-time Filipino emigrants.

On 7 February, a 34-year-old female was also intercepted before she could board an AirAsia flight bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The BI chief said that upon verification, the victim’s OEC number was found in the BI-DMW database under a different name, indicating tampering.

He added that in order to expedite services for overseas Filipino workers, BI and DMW unified their databases. Additionally, BI and CFO worked together to confirm Filipinos in bi-national relationships and intermarriages.