Justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla is investigating the Bureau of Immigration’s legal department for issuing thousands of work visas to fake corporations, including those linked to POGOs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Philippines.- Justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla<\/strong> has recently announced a thorough investigation into alleged irregularities within the legal department of the Bureau of Immigration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to ABS-CBN, the probe is in response to concerns that “thousands” of work visas, specifically the 9G visas designated for “pre-arranged employment,” were issued to fictitious corporations, including those associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remulla disclosed that during a meeting with Bureau of Immigration commissioner Norman Tansingco<\/strong>, he directed a deeper examination into the matter. The 9G visas are intended for foreign nationals engaging in lawful occupations within the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Remulla, his previous warnings about the prevalence of fake corporations obtaining 9G visas were not heeded by the legal department of the Bureau of Immigration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, Remulla had suggested outsourcing Philippine visa handling to foreign service providers following the discovery of authentic Philippine identification cards illegally issued to Chinese nationals involved in POGOs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to the investigation, Remulla instructed commissioner Tansingco to cease granting visas to sole proprietorships <\/strong>and exclusively issue them to corporations registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The aim is to curb fraudulent practices that have persisted for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The news comes shortly after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)<\/strong> chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco<\/strong> spoke out in favour of keeping POGOs operations in the country<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n