BI: Employees can't go to cafés during office hours

MANILA, Philippines - Employees of the Bureau of Immigration who will be caught hanging out in nearby coffee shops and restaurants during office hours may be suspended or dismissed from the agency, BI officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said yesterday.

Ledesma issued the warning following reports that fi­xers and some BI employees frequently visit the shops and restaurants to engage in ano­malous transactions.

In a memorandum order, Ledesma said spending time in restaurants, cafes and similar establishments during office hours violates civil service rules and regulations.

“There were even reports that money intended for immigration transactions change hands in these restaurants in full view of the public and to the detriment of the bureau’s reputation as a frontline agency of government,” Ledesma said in a statement.

Ledesma specifically banned employees from entering two coffee shops, a fastfood restaurant, and a restaurant specializing in fried chic­ken – all of them within walking distance from the BI office along Magallanes Drive in Intramuros.

“The establishments are now off limits to BI employees from 7 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on regular working days,” Ledesma said.

The BI chief also instructed BI associate commissioner Alberto Braganza, head of the bureau’s civil security unit, to strictly implement the order and report violators.

BI said several employees were already given notices by Ledesma asking them to explain in 72 hours why they should not be administratively charged after they were spotted in the establishments during working hours. – Helen Flores, Rudy Santos