The Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) have launched a joint system that will enable them to generate real time and accurate data on migration.

Launched last March 13 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, the system provides a simplified and more efficient means of processing, collecting, verifying, and sharing information or data needed by both the CFO and the BI in the country’s ports of entry and exit.

Both the BI and the CFO said that the system will help address and eliminate illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and irregular migration incidents in the Philippines.

"Interoperability is an important part of modern governance," said BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco.

"The integration of our systems to share real time data will provide streamlined and efficient services to the public," he said.

He pointed out that the joint system would allow immediate detection of fake CFO certificates and prevent future attempts of fraud.
In a statement, the BI said the new system had been tested when immigration officers intercepted a female victim at the Clark International Airport (CIA) Terminal 2 last March 13.

It said the woman presented a fake CFO certificate on her trip to South Korea.  It also said she admitted that she obtained her CFO via Facebook for P8,500.

The woman, whose name was withheld, has been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and filing of charges against the source of the fake CFO document.

Under the law, Filipino emigrants who are leaving to permanently settle abroad are required to register with the CFO and obtain certificates that they attended the commission’s pre-departure orientation seminar or peer counselling sessions, BI said.