AGENCIES SIGN PACT ON DATA SHARING, PROCESSING TO COMBAT ILLEGAL RECRUITMENT

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has launched a joint system with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) for ports of entry and exit that would simplify the processing, collecting, verifying, and sharing of information or data between the two agencies.

BI Chief Norman Tansingco said the launching held at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 is the result of an agreement signed by the BI and the CFO in May last year.

The system will interconnect the two agencies and allow for real-time verification of certificates issued by CFO upon presentation to immigration officers.

The joint system seeks to address and eliminate illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and irregular migration incidents in the Philippines while generating accurate data on migration.

“Interoperability is an important part of modern governance. The integration of our systems to share real-time data will provide streamlined and efficient services to the public,” he added.

Meanwhile, BI officers intercepted a Filipina traveler who presented a bogus CFO certificate at the Clark International Airport (CIA) Terminal 2.

Under the law, Filipino emigrants who are leaving to permanently settle abroad are required to register with the CFO and obtain certificates that they attended the commission’s pre-departure orientation seminar or peer counseling sessions.

The female passenger attempted to depart for Busan when she was intercepted by immigration officers.

She was found to be holding a counterfeit CFO certificate, which she admitted to have procured via Facebook for P8,500. She was referred to the inter-agency council against trafficking (IACAT) for filing of appropriate charges against the source of the fake document.