Mayor Alvin Vergara of Cabanatuan City, said that Filipinos abroad who would want to apply for dual citizenship will enjoy the creation of the BI office which is situated at the Sangguniang Panlungsod, City Hall in Barangay Kapitan Pepe.
Vergara joined BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan during the blessing and opening ceremonies last Friday.
Vergara said the government will have better control of activities, particularly of aliens, in the locality.
Libanan would not give statistics on the target number of beneficiaries, whether Filipinos applying for migration or aliens, but said the office will also serve people from the entire Nueva Ecija and the nearby provinces of Aurora and Nueva Vizcaya.
Libanan stressed that during these days of global financial crisis, it is necessary for the government to see to it that only good aliens are doing business in the country.
“What we need now are aliens who will engage in legitimate businesses that will create job opportunities to our people,” Libanan said in the vernacular.
The BI satellite office was created after the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Cabanatuan passed Resolution No. 237-2008 that called on the Commission to establish such. It also provided a space for its office.
Libanan noted that the BI had only 997 organic personnel nationwide. This strength, he said, checks about 5.7 million foreigners and protects 89 million Filipinos.
