THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) has reorganized its travel control and enforcement unit, allowing its chief to oversee its anti-trafficking operations.
In a statement on Sunday evening, the BI said the unit has been elevated to the office of the commissioner and was ordered to tighten monitoring operations against human trafficking incidents.
The unit, which was under the agency’s Intelligence division, has also been renamed to the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section.
Immigration Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco said the unit would coordinate with the country’s inter-agency council against trafficking to come up with measures to protect departing Filipinos.
“We remain steadfast in our resolve to ensure that every measure is taken to protect our fellow Filipinos from falling prey to trafficking networks,” he said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in May ordered the anti-trafficking council to work with the private sector in thwarting the “business of human trafficking.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez