BI eyeing to modernize ops to curb corruption

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Wednesday said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is pursuing the modernization of airport operations to curb corruption.

“Modernization will lessen the person-to-person contact… It will also lessen the discretion ng [of the] Immigration officer. Definitely, it will reduce yung [the] opportunity to commit graft or any abuse,” Tansingco said during an interview at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

“Ganoon ang mangyayari. Kasi kapag nag automate tayo, wala nang usapan yan, puro makina na ‘yan,” he added.

[That’s what will happen. Because if we automate, there will be no more conversations, it will all be machines.]

Tansingo said the agency’s ultimate goal is to catch up to the technologies being used by other countries.

He previously said they are seeking to replace half of the manual counters in airports with electronic gates.

Despite this, he said that it is unlikely that they will hire new plantilla positions once the counters have been replaced.

Tansingco also added that BI employees manning the counters will not be fired and will only be given new responsibilities.

“May security of tenure ‘yan. Hindi sila mawawala. Mabibigyan sila ng ibang responsibility. Like ‘yung sa Vancouver International Airport… binigyan ng ibang assignments. Filing sa likod, after the electronic gates,” he said.

[They have security of tenure. They will not be fired. They will only be given new responsibilities. Like the Vancouver International Airport… they were given other assignments like filing after the electronic gates.]

The BI Commissioner, meanwhile, said they are also open to possibly using artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations, like what's being done in Canada and Singapore.

But Tansingco clarified that the BI has no plans to create an AI officer.

“I have not heard of any AI immigration officer, at saka hindi siguro mangyayari kasi ang dadaanan mo is machine. Walang tao. Machine lang ‘yan,” he said.

[I have not heard of any AI immigration officer, and I don’t think it will happen because what you will pass through is a machine. There’s no person. Only a machine.] —VAL, GMA Integrated News