BI asks courts: Provide details on persons banned from leaving Phl

MANILA, Philippines - To avoid offloading the wrong person, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is asking the courts to provide the agency with complete information and recent photographs of individuals who are subjects of hold departure orders (HDOs).

In a statement issued yesterday, BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said there are instances that the BI accidentally offloads the namesakes of subjects of HDOs.

The BI cited a Feb. 20, 2003 Supreme Court circular ordering judges and clerks of court to provide the complete name, date and place of birth and the last known address of the subject of the HDO, and a recent photograph.

David said they should also be given the complete title and docket number of the case for which the HDO was issued as well as the specific nature of the case and the date of the order.

The SC circular also stated that when the subject of the HDO has been acquitted or the case against him was dismissed, the judgment must include the cancellation of the HDO. Both the BI and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should also be furnished with copies of the court orders within 24 hours from the time the judgment was promulgated.