B.I. crackdown on foreign workers on

No working permits only tourist visas

THE Bureau of Immigration in the Davao region has launched a crackdown on illegal foreign nationals working in establishments without permits.

Alien control officer Eddie P. Delima, head of the BI 11, said many foreigners working here were found only with tourist visas not working permits.

This developed as bureau officials advised the management of San Miguel Global Power currently constructing a coal fired-power plant in Malita, Davao Occidental to require their contractors and subcontractors to get a working visa for their foreign engineers and technicians.

“We would like to remind them na lahat sila kunan nila ng work permit,” Delima told Edge Davao in an interview last Friday.

Delima said that initial monitoring of the bureau’s agents found that there are foreigners working in the ongoing construction of the power plant in Davao Occidental as engineering, consultants and technicians.

“I don’t have an idea kung ilan. Pero, alam namin na may nagtatrabaho diyan na hindi covered, wala silang work permit,” Delima said.

Delima said most of the foreign workers in the power plants are reportedly Chinese nationals.

He said that usually illegal foreigner workers enter the country as tourists with the full knowledge of the contractors and subcontractor who have them in their places of origin.

“Dapat kasi niyan pagdating nila dito, bago mag trabaho, punta muna sila sa opisina namin para magkuha ng special working permit,” he said.
The BI-11 Alien Control Officer clarified that this must be done by the contractors and not the company of the power plants.

“Kung sino ang sub-contractors ang nagpasok ng mga tao na yan, sila ang may obligasyon na kumuha ng special working permit,” he said.

Delima said that the BI recently deported 49 Chinese nationals working in Therma South Inc.(TSI), a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Company due to lack of working permits.

But,  they released the other eight other workers and allowed them to work since they provided a document from BI national office.Of the eight, three of them are Chinese and the other are British, American, Thai,  Autralian and among others.

Delima further clear the name of TSI since the responsibility of getting of working visa for their foreign workers lie on the contractors. ABF