The nine Immigration officers – Michael Vincent P. Dizon, Roderick H. Rodriguez, Argentina L. Lacanlale, Lerma C. Arbitrario, Lailanie D. Mercado, Romeo S. Quizon, Marco N. Dayan, Lyka Marie V. Aguirre, and cashier Myra P. Santiago – wrote a letter on November 19 to BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison asking for an investigation on their colleague identified as Janice Christine De Jesus-Corres, Alien Control Officer (ACO) of the BI Field Office here, over suspicions that Chinese nationals whose visas are being extended at the field office are fraught with anomalies.
The nine BI officers are asking for appropriate actions “to ensure the orderly operations of our office guided by the principle of transparency and accountability.”
The officers said they are cognizant of the existing BI memorandum directing the field office to afford leniency in the extension of tourist visas forwarded by Fontana Leisure Estate (FLE), a company operating inside the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ).
However, they said they are “in the suspicion that such privilege is being abused to the disadvantage of the Philippine government by individuals who are using the name of FLE for their personal gains.” They said Corres’ spouse, Albert Corres, works at the FLE and “prevalently sends applications for tourist visa extensions from Fontana without the personal appearances of the foreign applicants and oftentimes with insufficient documentary requirements attached to their application forms.”
They added that the Chinese passports are processed “no ifs, no buts as long as the address written in the application form is Fontana Leisure Park.”
The BI officers said Ms. Corres would hastily approve the applications.
They said most often “only drivers from Fontana” are being sent by Mr. Corres to bring passports and payments to the BI Field Office which “is skeptical considering that these are important documents and a large sum of money is being entrusted to individuals who are neither liaison officers of Fontana nor are accredited persons by the BI.”
Work permit
The letter-complaint also said “every time applications for extension are lobbied before our office their usual reason is that these will be used in the application of the foreigners’ Special Work Permit or Special Clark Working Visas, though they know for a fact that these are beyond our jurisdiction and that these should be processed by the BI Clark’s One-Stop- Shop.”
According to the BI officers, the volume of Chinese passports that Mr. Corres regularly applies extension for almost every week number from 100 to 200 pieces.
Given such volume, it is “highly dubious that all passports are indeed from Chinese nationals entitled to the leniency afforded to FLE,” one of the BI officers said.
“Worthy to note too that these Chinese nationals are often overstaying aliens and yet they are still given extensions far longer than the regular visa extension periods we normally give,” the officers pointed out in their letter-complaint.
The officers aid Chinese nationals are visa- required and considered restricted nationals in the Philippines. “Thus we fear the risk of being held criminally or administratively liable for failure to properly screen foreigners should they turn out to have violated Immigration and Philippine laws or are involved in illegal activities,” they said.
“Worse is that ACO Corres immediately orders the issuance of official government receipts to these applicants even without them remitting their payments amid the protests of our cashier who would just accede to her order for fear of verbal reprimand,” the letter-complaint said.
Non-appearance
The nine BI officers also accused ACO Corres of ordering the processing of the Chinese nationals’ non-appearance, pre-finger printed forms for “Emmigration Clearance Certificate.”
Because of this, the officers said they are unable to determine if the required fingerprints on the forms are authentic.
This is a clear violation of an Immigration law that states that only authorized BI personnel should take fingerprints from foreign applicants, the BI officers pointed out.
The complainants said ACO Corres also wanted them to always prioritize FLE so much so that she pressures the employees to hastily process their applications and “she easily blurts out angry demoralizing words to the personnel who would protest against her demand.”
Confidential Agents (CA) are powerless to go up against her demands even if they are not in favor of her decisions because they fear that she’ll recommend that their contracts will not be renewed, the BI officers said.
Two CAs, identified as Jayson Ocampo and Erwin Dela Cruz, wanted to sign the letter-complaint but for fear of non-renewal of their contract chose not to sign it anymore, according to one of the BI officers.
According to them, ACO Corres’ behavior “force us in believing that she has serious anger management issues or is psychologically disturbed and we are having a hard time to work harmoniously with her.”
They said she consistently brags about her supposed “influence” and “connections” with top government officials so that she could freely do whatever she wants to.
Shadow Travel
The BI officers also said they received unconfirmed reports that ACO Corres is a business partner of Shadow Travel Agency located in Barangay Dau, Mabalacat City which could be a case of conflict of interest as with the case of her husband “directly transacting business with our office in which Miss Corres is an authorized signatory.”
It can be recalled that a similar case has been filed before the Department of Justice against ACO Corres by one Rachelle Ong sometimes during the administration of then Commissioner Marcelino Libanan.
The BI officers said they are seeking Corres’ “relief from her duties as ACO or her transfer to another office which will
be for the best interest of the BI to ensure that she is prevented from influencing the conduct of the investigation.”
