The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday said it will file criminal charges against any individual found employing the services of foreigners in violation the country’s immigration laws.
Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan issued a directive to the bureau’s operatives to identify and pinpoint the employers of the foreigners so they could be criminally charged and prosecuted in court for harboring and giving comfort to illegal aliens.
Libanan said the directive applies to both foreign and Filipino businessmen who violate the law by engaging the services of aliens who are either overstaying, undocumented or do not have the proper work permits and visas.
“Foreigners who employ illegal aliens should not only be deported. They should first be jailed to teach them a lesson,” the BI chief said.
Libanan issued the order during last Monday’s meeting of the bureau’s management committee where he stressed that foreigners should comply with the immigration laws in line with its programs to monitor all foreigners in the country.
Under Section 46 of the Philippine Immigration Act, any person convicted for harboring or giving comfort to an illegal alien may be jailed up to 10 years but not less than five years and fined up to P10,000 but not less than P5,000.
Libanan also ordered the Law Enforcement Division to strictly monitor the activities of foreign employers, especially those suspected of hiring foreigners to the detriment of the interest of Filipino workers.
Intelligence reports received by the bureau indicated that Chinese, South Koreans and Indians comprise the majority of foreigners who engage their compatriots to work in their business.
They are employed either as helpers or salespersons in stores and establishments owned by their employers. –Conrado Ching, Daily Tribune
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