Libanan to stay at Bureau of Immigration, won't seek elective post

MANILA, Philippines - Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said he has no plans of seeking an elective post in next year’s polls, saying he would rather concentrate on the innovative projects he has introduced at the agency since he assumed the post in 2007.

Libanan said he has no plans to return to legislative work or run for mayor in Quezon City.

Instead, he wants to put his efforts into the passage of the Commission on Immigration and Naturalization (CIN) Bill in Congress.

Libanan, a congressman from the lone district of Eastern Samar for three terms, said it was unlikely for him to run for mayor in Quezon City because he is not a registered voter there but in Eastern Samar.

For now, he said he would continue with his projects such as the Visa Issuance Made Simple (VIMS) and the Special Visa for Employment Generation (SVEG).

Libanan said he has been lobbying for the passage of the CIN bill for two years now but so far it has only reached second reading in Congress.

But he’s not discouraged by the bill’s slow progress at the House of Representatives, recalling that when he was still a lawmaker and chaired the committee on justice, they were able to pass the Anti-Money Laundering Bill in two weeks.

“The bill has been certified urgent by President Arroyo and I am hoping that it would be passed soon. I am hoping that once the BI has been transformed into the CIN, I would be appointed by the President as the first commissioner of the CIN,” Libanan said.

Under the CIN, the commissioner would be assured of a six-year fixed term and would be assisted by four associate commissioners. In the present set up, there are only two BI associate commissioners.

The measure would reportedly broaden the functions of the board of commissioners to include not only the authority to hear and decide deportation cases but also to resolve petitions for naturalization for Filipino citizenship. At present, petitions for naturalization are handled by the government’s special committee on naturalization.

He believed that the CIN could cover laws that would better address problems such as human trafficking. They could also come up with more types of visas such as journalist visas.

‘TV, print ads not intended to boost my popularity’

Meanwhile, Public Works and Highways secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the recent print and television ads of the DPWH were not intended to boost his popularity in time for the 2010 elections, but to remind the Filipino people to be grateful for all the accomplishments of the Arroyo administration.

“We came out with these advertisements on television and in the newspapers to inform the people what President Arroyo is doing. I want our countrymen to see the achievements of the Arroyo administration and they should be grateful for these projects,”Ebdane said.

The DPWH came out with a television commercial three weeks ago, in time for the agency’s 111th anniversary.

“Kalsada ang Tulay sa Kinabukasan, Sama-Sama Nating Alagan” was the department’s campaign slogan.

Ebdane said he has no plans yet of running for any elective post in next year’s polls. “All I want is to finish what I started.

I do not think I could be a senator, I am not fond of debates and I think to run for the position of mayor would be below my stature,” said the DPWH secretary, who previously served as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.

But Ebdane said that it was still too early to talk about politics. “I just want to tell the people that when the election comes, they should study very well the qualification of the candidates.”