Immigration chief out

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang announced yesterday the resignation of Bureau of Immigration commissioner Ricardo David, a day after the BI spokesperson dismissed the story of his looming departure as rumor.

David came under fire recently for the escape of foreign detainees as well as for his refusal to release an American after the latter was cleared of estafa by a Makati City court.

At the BI’s anniversary celebration last year, President Aquino also scolded the bureau for the escape from the country of high-profile fugitives.

David was a member of the Presidential Security Group during the presidency of Corazon Aquino.

“Commissioner David tendered his resignation to the President, and the resignation has been accepted,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told Palace reporters in a news briefing.

She did not specify the reason for David’s resignation, but said the former Armed Forces chief “felt it was but proper for him to take full responsibility for events that may have transpired under his leadership of the bureau.” David’s resignation letter was dated July 12.

“We would like to thank Commissioner David for his service to the country in all the years that he has served in the military,” Valte said. 

She recalled that David did not think twice about going back to public service when offered the top BI post after his retirement from the military. He assumed the BI leadership on March 21, 2011.

Valte declined to confirm reports that David’s deputy, lawyer Siegfred Mison, would take over the top BI position.

“I have no information on the replacement yet. We have not been apprised of any replacement,” she told reporters.

Reliable sources said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had endorsed the appointment of Mison as David’s replacement. BI is under the Department of Justice.

Both de Lima and Mison – son of former Customs commissioner Salvador Mison and nephew of former National Bureau of Investigation director Mariano Mison – are from Camarines Sur in Bicol.

Mison, who is in his mid-40s, was a military officer before he became a lawyer. President Aquino appointed him Immigration deputy commissioner in June 2012.

The other Immigration commissioner is lawyer Abdullah Mangotara, a former Lanao del Norte congressman.

Mison graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1987. He obtained his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1996, and earned his Masters of Law degree from the University of Southern California in 2006.

Pained by escapes

BI spokesperson Ma. Anonette Mangrobang said the escape of some foreign detainees may have weighed heavily on David, prompting him to resign.

She said David may have also been hurting from allegations that his BI personnel may have helped former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother flee the country after being charged with murdering a journalist.

“There are instances when there were reports of escaped detainees, but those incidents were isolated and the bureau has taken steps to prevent similar occurrences and have punished personnel found to be involved or have participated in those illegal activities,” Mangrobang said.

But she said the former BI chief had assumed full responsibility for the incidents.

The BI earlier drew flak for the escape of Korean nationals Kim Tae Dong and Park Sung-jung. 

In a statement, David said he was taking full responsibility for the incidents “that involved people who continued to resist the reforms that we labored to institute image transformation of this Bureau.”

Mangrobang said that while they were not belittling BI’s mistakes, she said she believes the bureau’s accomplishments far outweigh its errors under David’s leadership.

When asked about David’s biggest accomplishment, Mangrobang said a “great majority” of corruption had been eliminated. She also cited greater discipline in the rank and file as well as improvements in BI’s “culture of work.”

She also said that under David’s term, red tape was greatly reduced, so much so that documents can now be released within a five-day period and visa processed in a matter of hours.

BI also implemented an efficient travel control system at the ports, making it more convenient for international travelers to enter the country.

She said she doesn’t know if David would be given another post. David, she said, “already had a full career and being given the chance to work in the civilian sector is a feather in his cap…He is taking it in stride.”

She said that at the moment, David is busy “wrapping up his accountabilities with the bureau.”

Meanwhile, David said he hopes his successor “will continue what we have started and to remain focused on the path of the President’s tuwid na daan.”

Earlier, Mangrobang denied reports that her boss was on his way out. She said David had wanted to set the record straight on the deportation case of Walter Francis Groves, an American detained at BI’s Bicutan facility. 

Groves had complained of human rights violation, citing his continued detention.

The US embassy took up Grove’s cause and complained to Malacañang.

David reportedly gave instructions to some immigration officials to complete the report on Groves after last Monday’s flag ceremony.

David earlier explained that Groves could not be deported yet because the dismissal of his estafa case by the Makati RTC was not yet final.

He said Grove’s case was only provisionally dismissed and that it can still be revived if the parties involved fail to comply with their compromise agreement. He did not elaborate.

Senior State Prosecutor Roberto Lao had also contended that under the rules, the BI had to wait for two years from the date of the provisional dismissal of the case before Groves could be deported.

“But if the court would issue a clearance that there is no more pending case against him, we will waste no time and deport him immediately aboard the first available flight to the US,” David said. With Delon Porcalla