BI inspects dredging vessels engaged in Manila Bay reclamation
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has inspected 10 dredging vessels engaged in reclamation activities along Manila Bay to find out if foreign nationals involved in the project are compliant with immigration laws.
“So far we have already inspected 10 vessels already and some of which are fully manned by Filipinos,” BI Spokesperson Dana Mengote-Sandoval said on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
Sandoval said the BI’s Bay Service Section and Intelligence Division started conducting the inspections since Friday, Aug. 11, and was done with the assistance of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
“Inspections will continue in coordination with PCG for logistics,” she said.
After President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of reclamation activities along Manila Bay, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco ordered the inspections following “concerns on their activities in the area.”
Sandoval said it is too early for the BI to release its findings considering that the bureau is also coordinating with the local shipping agents of the vessels in getting copies of all their documents.
“We will also be submitting the findings to the Secretary of Justice,” she said.
“BI will release findings of re-inspection in due time after validation and reconciliation of all immigration documents submitted by foreign nationals on board the dredging vessels with the documents submitted by their shipping agents to the BI,” she added.