Mison appointed as Immigration commissioner

Bureau of Immigration Officer in Charge Siegfred Mison has been appointed as BI's head.

Mison said he considers his appointment as an early Christmas gift.

“Yes of course because somehow I am happy that President Benigno Aquino III has given his trust on me to head the bureau,” he said in a telephone interview, adding that he received a letter on December 18 regarding his appointment.

Moreover, he said his tenure as BI Commissioner is co terminus with Aquino's term in office, which will end in 2016.
 
Also, he said there will be no changes in the bureau now that he is appointed as head. “It’s just the same, it will be the same responsibility. Again, I am grateful that the President has given me his trust.”
 
On the other hand, he said: "[my] power would be broader, the authority would be more...."

"But as I said to Justice Department Secretary Leila de Lima... that when I would be appointed as commissioner I would always defer to her wisdom when it comes to make policy decisions,” Mison said.

He said he has not spoken to Aquino yet, but he said he promised to the President that as BI head he will work through his heart.
 
The BI Commissioner was appointed as officer in charge by de Lima last July replacing former Commissioner Ricardo David Jr.
 
David was a former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. — LBG, GMA News