The Senate Investigation on the Corruption at the Bureau of Immigration, February 9
Posted on Sunday, 12 February 2017
The Senate Investigation on the Corruption
At the Bureau of Immigration, February 9
By Apolinario Villalobos
Listening to the Senate hearing last
February 9 could drive one to extreme irritation, what with humorous statements
and insinuations, incongruous questions that got equally inconsistent answers
and revelations about incompetence in the job of the presidential appointees as
shown by their stammering and beating around the bush to hide their ignorance.
One instance is about the allowing of a resource person to take the flight out
of the country, despite the issuance of the “watch out bulletin” against him.
The responsible airport guys of the Bureau
of Immigration (BI) reasoned out that the name reflected on the passport which
is the “legal name” is different from what is reflected on the “watch out
bulletin” which is the “nickname”, so he was allowed to take the flight. These BI airport guys knew very well that
despite the different names, they refer to the same person and still, they had
the prerogative to remove any doubt by at least asking two IDs to establish the
guy’s “legal” identity. What they did was a grave irresponsibility and
misconduct as the guy who was allowed to depart was a very important resource
person in a serious case. As usual, all that the ever &*^$#@ DOJ Secretary
Vitaliano Aguirre did was just SUSPEND the incompetent BI officials. If the
Senate investigating committee is looking at “connivance” as another facet of
the case on hand, it should include Aguirre.
On the other hand, the Senate investigators
and the DOJ secretary forgot, that because what has been issued was only a
“look out bulletin”, the BI airport guys had no right to hold the subject,
because only a “hold departure order” can make them so. Nothing about it has been
mentioned in the course of the hearing. Had it been noticed, blames thrown at
the airport BI guys could have boomeranged to Aguirre who is obviously at fault
for the biggest oversight which shows another side of his incompetence that just
keeps on ballooning – more than reason enough for his removal from his post.
Finally, it is observed that there is no
seriousness in any hearing that the Senate conducts. Each one of the senators
tries to outdo each other with humorous and ego-boosting statements, most of
which are not necessary to the issues being discussed. The hall seems to be
inflated with air of arrogance that could make its walls burst. They make
investigations as basis for the formulation of laws…but what “good law” has
been implemented “properly”…if, at all?
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