Monitoring? Or Abusing?
By Jasmine Park April-2-2010
Student Desk in BI taken by Jasmine Park
The Bureau of Immigration had announced last November, 2009 the new implementation on immigration law regarding issuance of ACR- I card (Alien Certificate of Registration Identity Card). Before, ACR-I Card was an immigrant requirement only for the foreigners who are staying in the Philippines for the purpose of college education or business. Now, it is required also for the non-restricted foreign nationals granted a total authorized stay of over fifty-nine days as temporary visitors.
According to the BI, there was an imperative need to modernize and improve efficiency and security of alien registrations. Their objective was to establish a singular identity card and convenient transaction card for all resident foreigners and temporary foreign visitors. While doing that, the BI also expect to be free from increasing traffic of the country’s numerous ports and escalating threats from terrorist, transnational criminals and foreigners with criminal records. They described new implementation as automated, accurate, fraud-proof and tamper-proof monitoring system.
However, practical implementation of this new law does not seem to work as expected. Issuance of I-card required many documents including valid student visa and NBI clearance, but with the new implementation, temporary visitors would just have to pay PHP 3,000 additionally. No NBI clearance is needed anymore, which is for confirming criminal records of a person. It is true that they give a singular identity card, however, besides that, nothing has been confirmed to be helpful for monitoring system. The actual process of issuance goes like this; present one’s passport, pay the fee, wait for about two hours, and you now have an I-card. You can even claim for your friend, if she/he is not free to go to BI since they just use picture from the passport received for the I-card.
Let’s say checking every foreigners’ passport can promote monitoring system against numerous transnational threats, however, it is still too much to pay PHP 3,000 only for the simple identity card. Moreover, foreigners are still paying for their visa extension which costs PHP 3,000 every month.
In addition, this new implementation can throw a negative consequence in attracting foreigners coming to the Philippines. Many foreign travelers have chosen the Philippines because of the affordable costs spent for traveling or education. The more complicated visa process, the fewer visitors are coming.
In short, this new implementation, under seemingly good objectives, would not work as an effective monitoring system, but would just abuse foreigners. It is apparent because foreigners need to claim for the re-issue of an I-card in case of the second arriving after a departure from the country even though validity of an I-card is not expired yet. In other words, if a foreigner traveled to one’s homeland for vacation, they need to pay PHP 3,000 again for the re-issuance of an I-card when they arrived in the Philippines again.
Visa requirement is obviously a must in every nation in case of the visits of the foreigners. However, obligating travelers or short-stay students to pay for a simple card, which will be trashed after the departure does not work properly for the monitoring system. Inevitably, foreigners have to follow the immigration law after all; however, without proper elaboration of the BI about the new law, foreigners’ confidence in the government and BI of the Philippines will absolutely decline.
According to the BI, there was an imperative need to modernize and improve efficiency and security of alien registrations. Their objective was to establish a singular identity card and convenient transaction card for all resident foreigners and temporary foreign visitors. While doing that, the BI also expect to be free from increasing traffic of the country’s numerous ports and escalating threats from terrorist, transnational criminals and foreigners with criminal records. They described new implementation as automated, accurate, fraud-proof and tamper-proof monitoring system.
However, practical implementation of this new law does not seem to work as expected. Issuance of I-card required many documents including valid student visa and NBI clearance, but with the new implementation, temporary visitors would just have to pay PHP 3,000 additionally. No NBI clearance is needed anymore, which is for confirming criminal records of a person. It is true that they give a singular identity card, however, besides that, nothing has been confirmed to be helpful for monitoring system. The actual process of issuance goes like this; present one’s passport, pay the fee, wait for about two hours, and you now have an I-card. You can even claim for your friend, if she/he is not free to go to BI since they just use picture from the passport received for the I-card.
Let’s say checking every foreigners’ passport can promote monitoring system against numerous transnational threats, however, it is still too much to pay PHP 3,000 only for the simple identity card. Moreover, foreigners are still paying for their visa extension which costs PHP 3,000 every month.
In addition, this new implementation can throw a negative consequence in attracting foreigners coming to the Philippines. Many foreign travelers have chosen the Philippines because of the affordable costs spent for traveling or education. The more complicated visa process, the fewer visitors are coming.
In short, this new implementation, under seemingly good objectives, would not work as an effective monitoring system, but would just abuse foreigners. It is apparent because foreigners need to claim for the re-issue of an I-card in case of the second arriving after a departure from the country even though validity of an I-card is not expired yet. In other words, if a foreigner traveled to one’s homeland for vacation, they need to pay PHP 3,000 again for the re-issuance of an I-card when they arrived in the Philippines again.
Visa requirement is obviously a must in every nation in case of the visits of the foreigners. However, obligating travelers or short-stay students to pay for a simple card, which will be trashed after the departure does not work properly for the monitoring system. Inevitably, foreigners have to follow the immigration law after all; however, without proper elaboration of the BI about the new law, foreigners’ confidence in the government and BI of the Philippines will absolutely decline.
