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THE
Board of Investments (BOI) said Monday that Bureau of
Immigration (BI) reforms to fast-track the processing of
visas for potential investors may have led to the
decline to “zero” of complaints of red tape, but
acknowledged that some measures taken by the BI were not
among those forged in an earlier agreement with the BOI.
The
BI’s aggressive, self-declared “proinvestor” and
“probusiness” stance, which resulted in the issuance of
hundreds, possibly thousands, of three-year visas upon
arrival to mostly Indian and Chinese nationals, has also
created some gray areas as far as the Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) is concerned.
The
DFA will seek a clarification with the BI on the
reported issuance of three-year multiple-entry visas,
saying the jurisdiction is supposed to be under the
Philippine embassies and consulates abroad.
The
BI, through technical staff chief Ferdinand Arbas,
however, defended Monday the controversial program,
saying it was put in place as a response to complaints
of “fake visas” emanating from certain consular posts of
the DFA. The BI officials did not state, however, how
exactly the fake visas came about or where they were
given.
A
special report by BusinessMirror on Monday had listed
three main concerns of sources over the BI’s move to
arrogate unto itself the issuance of visas under a
so-called “proinvestment visa program” that has resulted
in the grant, in just two months, for instance, or more
than 400 such “multiple-entry visas upon arrival” [MEV-UAs]
to foreigners on the say-so of mere nonstock, nonprofit
associations that these are “potential investors.”
High
among the concerns is the security angle, considering
the risk that hundreds of aliens who did not undergo
strict screening in the DFA’s consular posts abroad may
have already gone to remote parts of the country to
undertake nefarious activities. Second is the revenue
angle, since the visa recipients get the three-year
visas in one blow, without need of applying for
extensions every six months after the original
three-month visa is issued. Third is the economic angle,
considering that the entry of “potential investors” who
have nothing really to contribute could even take away
jobs or business from Filipinos.
DFA
Assistant Secretary for consular Affairs Domingo
Lucenario Jr. said the issuance of visas to foreigners
seeking entry into the Philippines is under the
“division of responsibilities” of the embassies and
consulates of the Philippine government abroad and not
at the port of entry.
“The
matter will be discussed in the regular interagency
meeting that we conduct with various government agencies
responsible for security issues,” said Lucenario in a
telephone interview with the BusinessMirror on Monday.
The
next meeting is set for the third week of July.
DFA
Secretary Alberto Romulo will lead the meeting along
with the heads of the National Police, Department of
National Defense, National Bureau of Investigation,
National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (Nica), BI and
the Department of Tourism.
Lucenario said a preliminary meeting was held over the
weekend, where the DFA sought clarification with the
immigration office on its two schemes that facilitate
the multiple-visa issuances of foreign nationals: the
Proinvestment Visa Program and the MEV-UA.
‘No
red tape, thanks’—BOI
Meanwhile, as far as the BOI is concerned, there is one
positive result from the visa-upon-arrival scheme—the
BOI is no longer receiving any complaint of red tape
that used to considerably delay the entry of prospective
foreign investors or technical experts into the country.
Trade
Undersecretary and BOI managing head Elmer Hernandez
said before the BOI and BI signed the memorandum of
agreement that put the program into motion, his office
was receiving tons of complaints either through e-mail
or letters from different business chambers on the
difficulty of obtaining visas for foreign businessmen
that they are inviting to the country.
“Right
now we are not getting any complaint. I believe this is
because of the MOA. In the past, without the MOA, we are
getting complaints that it is really hard for foreign
businessmen to come here, especially those coming from
India or China,” Hernandez told the Businessmirror.
BI
violating accord with BOI
However, Hernandez said the MOA with the BI only covers
the grant of special visas that are good for 30 days,
extendible for a final period of 30 days depending on
the agency’s endorsement.
On
learning of the documents obtained by BusinessMirror
showing MEV-UAs granted that are already good for three
years, Hernandez said the Proinvestment Visa Program and
the MEV-UA with a three-year validity is probably
another program of the BI.
“That
is part of their [BI] mandate, how to interpret
immigration laws.
The BI
surely has its own good reason for adopting that
measure. But for us, we are only implementing the MOA,”
Hernandez said.
When
Libanan guested before the consular corps last week,
Francisco Ortigas III, Consul of the Republic of El
Salvador to Manila and dean of the Consular Corps of the
Philippines, cited Libanan’s plans for the immigration
bureau.
“You
will recall that it was June 27 of last year when you
first visited our Corps and announced your laudable plan
of action as the new immigration bureau chief.
We
congratulate you for your dynamic leadership in bringing
positive change and reforms in the bureau as you
continue to work for more relevant legislation on
immigration policies,” Ortigas said. -- LM
Fernandez, MV de Leon, Estrella Torres, Paul Atienza |
