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Monday, April 24, 2006
Justice dep't team probes immigration mess
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- A team of prosecutors sent by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales to Davao City completed the first round of its fact-finding mission into alleged irregularities in the Bureau of Immigration (BI) office.
The team flew back to Manila Saturday noon after three days of gathering facts and interviewing complainants and sending invitations and subpoenas to those reported to be involved in the irregularities.
The prosecutors will come back on the first week of May to gather counter-affidavits of respondents and ask them questions, according to team leader Senior State Prosecutor Edwin S. Dayog.
With Dayog, the other state prosecutors in the team are state prosecutors Ma. Cristina Rilloraza, Crisaldo R. Rioflorido, Jaime Umpa and Florencio dela Cruz Jr.
The team was escorted by Superintendent Romeo Laurinaria, a Department of Justice security officer assigned to the Davao area twice before as police officer.
Dayog said the team would be back early in May to receive the counter-affidavits of immigration officer Ben Lao and other BI's involved in the complaints.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte lauded the move of Gonzales to send a team, saying it was as an appropriate response to reports of irregularities and bickering in the local immigration office.
The mayor reportedly conferred with Immigration Associate Commissioner Franklyn Z. Littaua about the matter.
Littaua was said to have promised the mayor a feedback as soon as he gets the report of the Dayog team to the justice secretary.
The fact-finding mission stemmed from the accusation of a BI employee against another employee of "amassing illegal wealth and using government resources" for personal use.
Esperanza Lim, immigration translator II, accused Nimfa Edroso of receiving more than what she ought to receive with her position as immigration officer I.
Lim said Edroso is receiving more or less P90,000 a month. The complainant said the bulk of Lim's huge monthly income comes from airline monthly allowance, vessel boarding, fishport allowance, express lane allowance from the bureau, and common fund weekly allowance.
Lim said Edroso is not supposed to enjoy these allowances since her position does not merit such. Lim claimed she is Edroso's superior yet she has never received these benefits.
Aside from the huge allowances, Lim also accused Edroso of using the immigration employees' quarters as if it were her personal property. The employees' quarters located at the third floor of the immigration office along Bajada is allegedly being occupied by Edroso for about two years now.
"I, being her senior, cannot even use the quarters during noontime for a nap because I am not permitted to use it by alien control officer Benjamin Lao," Lim said in her complaint letter to Ombudsman Antonio Valenzuela.
Lim said Edroso is enjoying all these since she is the "favorite employee" of Lao.
Lao denied all of Lim's accusations, saying they are all baseless and aimed merely to create divisiveness within their office.
According to State Prosecutor Rilloraza, the team is expected to make its report and recommendations to Gonzales in one month's time. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(April 24, 2006 issue)
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