Two personnel of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) who are allegedly involved in illegal activities have been relieved from their posts, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said on Thursday, Jan. 19.
In a press statement, Tansingco said he signed the dismissal order on January 17 following intelligence reports that the two were allegedly involved in trafficking activities at the Clark International Aiport (CIA) and the Ninoy Aquino International Aiport (NAIA).
"We have received information that the two have links to trafficking syndicates. We are initiating an investigation to verify this information, and if there is indeed the probable cause, we shall file the appropriate case before the Department of Justice," he said.
The BI chief assigned the two sacked personnel to back-end office duties while the investigation is still pending.
"While imposing penalties would be subject to the resolution of possible cases against them, we are relieving them from frontline duty to ensure unbiased investigation," Tansingco said.
He warned BI employees not to get involved in illegal activities.
"The elimination of corruption is really one of my main targets in the Bureau. Any attempt to engage with corrupt practices shall be met with the harshest penalties possible," the BI chief added.