THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) posted a record high P11.9-billion income last year, 29 percent higher than the agency revenue in 2018, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente reported on Sunday.
He disclosed that the 2019 income is P2.6 billion higher than the agency’s income the previous year, which was P9.2 billion.
“We expect our income to increase again this year as a result of the improvements in services and programs that we instituted for the benefit of the transacting and traveling public,” Morente said.
The increase, according to Morente, may be attributed to the rise in immigration fee collections due to reforms and programs initiated by President Duterte, which lured more foreigners to visit and do business in the country.
The BI’s income has been steadily increasing over the past years and actually jumped by four-fold from 2012 when the agency posted only P2.7 billion.
“More foreign visitors naturally results in more income from immigration fees for the government. This contributes significantly to government coffers and may be used for major improvement projects for our country,” Morente said in response to reports that the number of foreigners who arrived last year could reach 8 million.
Morente likewise cited the continuing efforts of the BI to modernize its facilities, simplify its procedures and improve its frontline operations.