Immigration drafts bill to secure RP borders

The Bureau of Immigration has drafted a bill it hopes will help seal the country’s porous southern border and keep out illegal aliens and foreign terrorists.

The proposed measure seeks to reintroduce a 1996 law that granted amnesty to illegal aliens if they register within a limited period.

"The Social Integration Act was a law that gave Asians who entered the country before 1992 the opportunity and privilege to stay here as residents," Immigration commissioner Alipio Fernandez told journalists in a forum presided over by STAR publisher and airman of the board Max V. Soliven yesterday.

"We already have a draft bill that we will recommend to the justice secretary," he said. The bureau is under the supervision of the Department of Justice.

About 200,000 to 300,000 illegal aliens registered when the 1996 immigration law was passed, Fernandez said.

Reintroducing the 1996 law will also help the country’s security forces track down terrorists and thwart possible attacks, he added.

"The best viable database is through registration, otherwise we might be engaged in witch hunting," Fernandez said. "The more important security aspect of this is to seal our southern backdoor."

Sen. Alfredo Lim, who was also a guest at the forum, said he will sponsor the bill.

"The bill will also help the cash-strapped government earn more revenue from alien registration fees," Fernandez added.

At present, the immigration bureau is tracking down illegal aliens, mostly Malaysians and Indonesians, with the help of Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.

Over 280,000 illegal aliens have been registered by the bureau since it started its campaign in 2003.

A shortage of boats and aircraft makes it difficult for security forces to keep watch over the Philippines’ vast coastline, which is double in size that of the United States.

Mindanao’s proximity to Malaysia makes it relatively easy for illegal aliens to slip into the Philippines. Manila and Kuala Lumpur are working closely to help monitor borders.

Philippine security forces are on the watch for operatives of Jemaah Islamiyah, which is believed to be working with the Abu Sayyaf. Both have been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.