Immigration deputy: Tourist screening a 'necessary evil'

I wrote recently about the barring of 54,000 Filipino tourists from departing international airports because suspected of being trafficked. The series included readers’ allegations of harassment and extortion by Immigration officers. Last Tuesday, July 2, Bureau of Immigration associate commissioner Siegfred B. Mison e-mailed some clarifications:

“It is reassuring when a columnist of influence writes on human trafficking, as it raises public awareness of the matter. Thank you for calling attention to possible improvements in the BID’s airport procedures to curb this menace.

“In November 2010 you observed: ‘Filipinos are the most trafficked women and children across international borders, the Reader’s Digest reported. Of 800,000 worldwide victims of human trafficking every year, 500,000 are Filipinos, mostly to Japan, the Middle East and America. Presumably more are trafficked domestically as housemaids.’

“As statistics show, too many Filipinos are being trafficked and we all have to do our part to stop this threat to our workforce. Several government and private entities are involved in the fight. The BID is the last line of defense, the last gate, so to speak, through which our ill-advised countrymen pass on the road most certainly paved with misery and regret. Knowing the cruel fate that awaits trafficked Filipinos, the BID uses a set of risk-assessment questions, definitely not foolproof, to screen ‘tourists’ headed for destinations identified as hotspots for forced labor and prostitution.

 “On travelers being offloaded (not allowed past the Immigration counters), you mentioned on June 29, 2011: ‘Mison also told The STAR that they had stopped 32,038 tourists from leaving from January to June. That’s 200 human-trafficking cases prevented each day, he beamed. But without proof that they were being trafficked, it means more like 200 extortion victims failing to pay up, hence offloaded, per day.’

“At airport counters Immigration agents screen Filipino ‘tourists’ to verify if they are indeed headed abroad for sightseeing and pleasure. They are asked routine questions, such as employment in the Philippines, destination abroad, sources of funds while abroad, and purpose of travel. Those who have difficulty answering may be asked to show proof of financial means, such as cash on hand, foreign currency and credit cards. We are in the process of revisiting the assessment questions, if only to ensure that these are not as intrusive and harassing as they appear to be.

“You further mentioned: ‘There must be a better way to fight human trafficking. And it shouldn’t be with Immigration, the least trained for it and most prone to abusing departing tourists.’

“Admittedly, the screening unduly can delay and inconvenience legitimate tourists. The BID finds this a ‘necessary evil’ in our fight against trafficking. If in delaying tourists we are able to weed out even one (trafficking victim) from embarking on a journey to tears and woe in a foreign land, from which s/he might not return, then for this one (person) the BID has fulfilled its role of protecting our citizens from predators. The better way of crime fighting is preventive, not remedial. The BID with its meager resources would rather prevent a ‘tourist worker’ from leaving the country than pass the buck to our consuls and labor attachés. Aside from the BID, the DOJ, DOLE, DFA, DSWD, PNP, etc. comprise the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

“You wrote on July 1, 2011, that our current screening process has been used by unscrupulous Immigration agents to harass and mulct tourists. We urge you or your contacts to provide specifics, so culprits can be meted the severest penalty, including dismissal from the service. Our Commissioner is making sure the BID is aligned with the President’s ‘matuwid na daan’.”

*    *    *

I wish Mison had replied to the other points I raised, like:

• The BID spokeswoman-lawyer insists that it’s right to ask tourists to produce non-tourist documents, like bank statements, income tax returns and employment certifications. Assuming it’s reasonable, did the BID issue travel advisories to that effect, so tourists could prepare the papers, and not forced to pay up in order to catch their flights?

• If the 54,000 debarred travelers from August 2010 to June 2011 truly were saved from trafficking, who and where are they? Did the BID help them get refunds of unused travel tax of P1,620 each, and airfares?

• Of the 32,038 offloaded in January to June 2011, how come only two trafficking cases prospered in court? Did the BID, as last line of defense and gatekeeper, bother to gather evidence of crime? If not, then all it did was prevent presumed victims from departing, but not real traffickers from striking again.

• The profiling of suspected victims starts with spotting those who look provincial: dark skin, unfashionable wear, thick accent. Has the BID measured the success rate?

• Has the BID brass ever disciplined any personnel for abuse and extortion? Publishing the names would embolden The STAR readers to report others; otherwise, they’d request anonymity, lest they suffer recrimination.

*    *    *

Selling like hotdogs are tickets to the Hotdog Reunion: The Repeat, on July 26, 7:30 p.m., at the Dusit Thani Hotel ballroom, Makati. Tipar-swingers of the ’70s requested the concert after missing the overflow one last May.

Original band-mates Rene Garcia (lead vocals and guitar), Dennis Garcia (bass) and Jess Garcia (drums) are lining up unrecorded works, along with hit songs like “Annie Batungbakal”, “Ikaw ang Miss Universe” and “Bongga Ka Day”. Six former female vocalists will join them: Maso Diez, Joy Reyes, Rita Trinidad, Gina Montes, Nadia Moore, and Elaine Evangelista.

For tickets to dinner, concert and all-night dancing, call (02) 8866186, (0915) 3598228, or (0921) 2931784.

*    *    *

Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ, (882-AM).

E-mail: [email protected]