THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has attributed to the government’s aggressive efforts to market the country as a tourist and investment destination its record high income of more than P7 billion in 2018.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente noted that the agency’s revenue collections jumped to record levels since the past six years.
As of November 2018, Morente said the BI’s total revenue collections had already stood at P7.03 billion, which is nearly P1.5 billion more than the P5.58-billion earned in 2017.
Six years ago, the BI’s collection stood only at P2.7 billion.
“We expect our total income in 2018 to surpass P7.5 billion in 2018 after all revenue from our main office and field and satellite offices for December are added to the 11-month collection figure,” Morente said. “The dramatic increase in our revenues indicates that this government is succeeding in its efforts to lure more foreign tourists and investors,” he stressed.
Aside from the remarkable marketing of the country as a tourist and investment destination, Morente traced the increase in BI’s revenue in efforts to improve its facilities and simplify its procedures for travelers.
“We have been strictly monitoring our collections not only in the main office but in our subport offices, as well to ensure that all our revenues are remitted to the government coffers,” BI Finance Chief Judith Ferrera noted.