BI now world class, visiting Japanese officers say
Posted on March 10th, 2010 by admin0 Comments | Manila Bulletin, March 8, 2010
Japanese naval officers said they firmly believe that the Bureau of Immigration (BI) now ranks on the same level as the immigration offices of developed countries like Japan in terms of equipment and usage of modern technology.In their visit to the BI main building in Intramuros, Manila last week, Capt.
Makato Ito, commanding officer of the Japanase naval squadron, said they were stunned at how the bureau was able to turn into a world-class border management office.Ito, together with Japanese naval commander Takashi Iho, paid a courtesy call to BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan last Thursday after arriving to the Philippines for a five-day goodwill visit.The Japanese naval officers also toured the various offices of the bureau to get a glimpse of the modern facilities and equipment that were installed in the agency since it launched its modernization program more than two years ago.Ito and Iho said they were impressed by what they saw in the bureau as they did not expect the Philippine immigration service to have a border management system that is comparable with those in the more developed countries.The visitors were particularly impressed with the facilities that they observed at the BI main office.They were able to see how the bureaus main office monitors the movement of passengers, including the actions of its immigration officers in the various international airports and subports.Jose Carandang, BI boarding section chief, also informed the visitors that 37 seaports nationwide are now equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that facilitate that efficient monitoring, sc