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The Bureau of Immigration ( fil, Kawanihan ng Pandarayuhan), also known between 1972 and 1987 as the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation, is the immigration regulatory and control body of the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. It was established by the
Philippine Immigration Act The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, also known as Commonwealth Act no. 613, is a law establishing the Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines and establishing the visa policy of the Philippines. The law was passed on August 26, 1940 by the ...
in 1940, although a predecessor agency had existed as part of the
Bureau of Customs The Bureau of Customs (abbreviated BoC or BOC; fil, Kawanihan ng Adwana) is a Philippine government agency under the Department of Finance. The Bureau of Customs was established on February 6, 1902 by the Insular Government of the Philippin ...
since 1899.


History

The Bureau of
Immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...
started as a division of the Bureau of Customs during the American regime in 1899. It was appropriate because ship travel and ship cargo were interlinked and hence, the office was at the
Bureau of Customs The Bureau of Customs (abbreviated BoC or BOC; fil, Kawanihan ng Adwana) is a Philippine government agency under the Department of Finance. The Bureau of Customs was established on February 6, 1902 by the Insular Government of the Philippin ...
. It seems that the government then, gave more importance on the entry of goods than monitoring of foreign nationals coming into the country. The government was more interested in generating customs duties from these goods than in the control and regulation of the arrival and stay of foreigners. The functions of immigration remained under the said bureau until 1937 when it was transferred as a division of the Bureau of Labor. The functions of Immigration were transferred in 1937 as a division under the Bureau of Labor. This was mainly to respond to the arrival of Chinese nationals who owned and operated trade houses stores and restaurants in the country. On January 22, 1940, the Second National Assembly of the Philippine Commonwealth enacted the
Philippine Immigration Act The Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, also known as Commonwealth Act no. 613, is a law establishing the Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines and establishing the visa policy of the Philippines. The law was passed on August 26, 1940 by the ...
of 1940 (Commonwealth Act No. 613). It was signed into law by the
President of the United States of America The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
on September 3, 1940, creating the Bureau of Immigration under the administrative supervision of the Office of the President. A year or so later, it became an attached agency of the Department of Justice. Later, its administrative control was returned to the Office of the President. When the Pacific war broke out in December 1941, the bureau, then under the Department of Justice, moved to the Bilibid Prison on Azcarraga Street (now Claro M. Recto Avenue). Immediately after the war, the bureau was transferred near the Gate 1 of the South Harbor in Manila, then moved to Building No.5 at the
Customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
Bureau at Gate 4. In 1945, in line with the reorganization plan of the government, the bureau was put under the supervision and control of the Department of Labor. In 1948, the Bureau was reverted to the
jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. J ...
of the Department of Justice where it has remained up to the present time. On September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed
Martial Law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...
, ordered and decreed the adoption and implementation of the Integrated Reorganization Plan. Hence, the Commission on Reorganization issued Letter of Implementation No. 20, dated December 31, 1972 which embodies the plan, including among other things, the change of name of the office from the Bureau of Immigration to Commission on Immigration and
Deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
. This became a collegian body and performing both administrative and quasi-judicial functions. It is composed of the commissioner and his two associate commissioners. Letter of Implementation No. 20 also abolished the Deportation Board and transferred its functions to the Board of Commissioners who gave them power to undertake
deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
cases. The bureau was given the sole authority to enforce and administer immigration and foreign nationals registration laws including the admission, registration, exclusion and deportation and
repatriation Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...
of foreign nationals. It also supervises the immigration from the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
of foreign nationals. On July 25, 1987, President
Corazon C. Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People ...
signed Executive order No. 292, also known as the Administrative Code of 1987. Said order renamed the office, “Bureau of Immigration.” It continues, however, to perform all the powers and functions it had while still a commission, and its head of office still remains to be called commissioner as provided under DOJ.


Key Officials

* Ret. Police Maj. Gen. Jaime H. Morente, CEO VI (Commissioner) * J. Tobias M. Javier (Deputy Commissioner) * Atty. Aldwin F. Alegre (Deputy Commissioner) * Atty. Jing Oliver A. Balina (Board Secretary) * Rogelio D. Gevero, Jr. (Chief, Immigration Regulation Division) * Atty. Jose Carlitos Z. Licas (Chief, Alien Registration Division) * Fortunato S. Manahan, Jr. (Chief, Intelligence Division) * Atty. Arvin Cesar G. Santos (Chief, Legal Division) * Mary Ann Q. Caranto (Chief, Administrative Division) * Judith F. Herrera (Chief, Finance and Management Division) * Atty. Gregorio G. Sadiasa (Chief, Board of Special Inquiry) * Atty. Zaniah V. Siton (Chief, Verification and Compliance Division) * Atty. Carlos B. Capulong (Acting Chief, Port Operations Division) * Engr. Dino C. Vizconde (Acting Chief, Management Information Systems Division)


Functions


General functions

*Acts as the primary enforcement arm of the Department of Justice and the
President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of ...
in ensuring that all foreigners within its territorial
jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. J ...
comply with existing laws;Ledesma, An Outline of the Philippine Immigration and Citizenship Laws, 2006 Rv., p.12 *Assists local and international law enforcement agencies in securing the tranquility of the state against foreigners whose presence or stay may be deemed threats to
national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military att ...
, public safety, public morals and public health and; *Acts as chief repository of all immigration records pertaining to entry, temporary sojourn, admission, residence and departure of all foreigners in the country.


Specific functions

In the discharge of its broad functions, the Bureau through its Board of Commissioners, exercises administrative and quasi-judicial powers over the: *Regulation of the entry (arrival), stay (sojourn), and exit (departure) of foreign nationals in the country; *Monitoring of the entry and exit of Filipino citizens in compliance with Philippine laws and other
legal procedures Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
; *Issuance of immigration documents and identification certifications on non-immigrant, immigrant and special non-immigrant visas; *Issuance of special permits in relation to the enforcement of immigration laws (e.g. Special Work Permit (SWP), Provisional Permit to Work (PPW), Special Study Permit (SSP), re-entry permits, clearances, etc.); *Extension of stay of temporary visitors and implementation of changes of status as provided by law; *Administrative determination of
citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
and related status; *Investigation, hearing, decision and execution of orders pertaining to exclusion, deportation, and repatriation of foreign nationals; *Implementation of Hold Departure Orders,
Blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...
, Watchlist, Immigration Lookout Bulletin Orders and Alert List Orders; *Cancellation of immigration documents upon violation of immigration laws and procedures; *Investigation, arrests and detention of foreigners in violation of immigration regulation and other Philippine laws; *Operation of the
Bureau of Immigration Bicutan Detention Center The Bureau of Immigration Bicutan Detention Center (BI–Bicutan) is the principal immigration detention center administered by the Bureau of Immigration of the Philippines. Located inside Camp Bagong Diwa, in Lower Bicutan, Taguig, the facili ...
and other such holding facilities; *
Accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
of schools and learning institutions that can officially accept and enroll foreign students; and *Accreditation of law firms, liaison officers, travel agencies and other individuals and organizations transacting with the Bureau of Immigration


References


External links

* * {{Authority control
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
Government agencies of the Philippines National law enforcement agencies of the Philippines Department of Justice (Philippines)