BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said on Saturday that there is an imminent need to overhaul the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
”It was an 86-year-old statute enacted in an era vastly different from today’s reality,” said Viado.
”We need a legal framework that equips our immigration officers with the tools, authority and systems necessary to protect our borders while facilitating legitimate travel, tourism, business and migration,” he added.
Viado said an updated legislation is crucial to support immigration modernization that is capable of handling challenges from border security and human trafficking to illegal recruitment, foreign fugitives, transnational crime, and the unprecedented volume and speed of international travel.
Viado expressed appreciation to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council for including immigration modernization among the priority measures in the Common Legislative Agenda of the 20th Congress.
”For this administration, modernizing immigration is not merely about updating an old law. It is about building a stronger, more capable and more secure Philippines,” Viado said.
