BI collects P3 billion in first half of 2020

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has raised more than P3 billion in revenues in the first half of 2020, down by 39% from its income from the same time last year. 

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the bureau collected P3.14 billion in immigration fees from January to June, lower than the P4.3 billion it earned during the same period in 2019. 

“We still consider this as a significant accomplishment considering that even amidst the pandemic we are just 50-percent short of attaining our target of P6.18 billion for 2020,” Morente said in a statement on Monday. 

He said the bureau's collections would have reached record levels if it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled the agency to scale down operations. 

Morente said there was a 95-percent drop in the number of local and foreign travelers in the last several months. 

He expressed optimism that the BI will meet its income target for the year as the country shifts to less strict quarantine measures and travel restrictions. 

BI financial management chief Judith Ferrera said the bureau had already collected almost P1.8 billion in January and February, making it poised to hit another record high, but that revenues dipped to P481 million in March. 

Luzon was placed under enhanced community quarantine in March. 

The BI deposited P10.5 billion to the national treasury in 2019, 111% more than its revenue target for that year, Ferrera said. —Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/KG, GMA News