Bureau of Immigration orders review of contracts signed under Arroyo administration

MANILA, Philippines – Bureau of Immigration (BI) officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma has ordered the review of all contracts entered into during the previous administration, including the printing of arrival and departure (A/D) cards being distributed to international passengers, to ensure that no taxpayers’ money had been used for the printing.

He said the government does not spend a single centavo for their printing of A/D cards and the supplier merely relies on the advertisements that are printed on allotted portions of the cards to generate income.

“At any rate, we are reviewing the contract to check if there are indeed irregularities as alleged by some sectors,” Ledesma said in a press statement.

He said the BI, under his predecessor, entered into the contract last year with the supplier, e.Xtend Inc., for the printing of the cards.

The BI distributes the cards to airlines and immigration arrival and departure areas in the country’s ports of entry for international travelers to fill up.

Ledesma said the production of the cards used to be handled by the Airline Operators Council (AOC).

President Aquino had ordered the removal of his picture from the card after he noticed his photo printed on it while he and his entourage were on their way to the United States to attend the recent United Nations General Assembly meeting. – With Rudy Santos