DFA rebukes Boying over claims of visa authority should fall under BI
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Sunday pushed back against Ombudsman Boying Remulla’s assertions that authority over visa processing belongs to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), as he doubled down on his accusation that the department has turned it into a business.
The DFA asserted that it exclusively holds statutory authority over Philippine visa issuance and processing under the law, not the BI, which is under the Department of Justice.
“The DFA categorically rejects the assertions made during the program that disregard its express statutory authority and attribute institutional impropriety to the Department without specific and verifiable evidence,” the department said.
The statement follows Remulla’s remarks in a radio program over the weekend, accusing the DFA anew of turning visa processing into a profit with the help of travel agencies.
He cited a complaint filed before the DOJ by a “very big Filipino businessman in China” during his stint as its secretary, before he became an Ombudsman.
Remulla disclosed that he already confronted DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro over allegations of irregularities in visa processing, which reportedly led to a clash.
“I’m not doing this behind her back. I said it to her face,” the Ombudsman asserted.
Remulla contended that the BI must have primary authority over visa matters and policies, arguing that the bureau is the gatekeeper.
The exchanges come amid reports of foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, exploiting the visa-free entries to stay in the Philippines and engage in scam hubs and POGO-related operations despite it already being banned.
Remulla said about 1 percent of Chinese nationals who entered through the scheme stayed illegally during their first two months.
The Ombudsman insisted that the visa facilitation services must be outsourced to an international third-party service provider to ensure a stricter vetting system.
The DFA contended, however, that while a third party may provide administrative support in receiving and facilitating visa applications, the authority to assess, approve, or deny Philippine visas remains a sovereign state function vested in the DFA “that cannot be transferred to a private entity through an outsourcing arrangement.”
The department also contended that it does not issue “fake” passports, nor does it impose documentary requirements to deliberately make visa applications difficult, contradicting claims by Remulla and the other panelist in the program that the complicated, time-consuming process prompted travelers to bypass lawful application and tap travel agencies.
The DFA derided the statements made during the program as unfounded insinuations, false, and irresponsible.
An ongoing Senate probe has revealed how Chinese nationals circumvent the law and its loopholes to unlawfully acquire Filipino citizenship.
In 2023, Senator Loren Legarda also raised concerns about possible collusion among government agencies, particularly the DFA and the Philippine Statistics Authority, regarding the illicit issuance of birth certificates to Chinese nationals for their passport applications.
The PSA has identified over 50,000 potentially fraudulent late birth registrations and has already endorsed 1,484 to the Office of the Solicitor General for cancellation.