The Department of Justice (DoJ) has approved the recommendation of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to create six additional immigration area offices (IAOs) throughout the country.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said the establishment of IAOs will further strengthen the bureau’s services to foreigners and to the general public.

In her memorandum, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera agreed to the proposal of Libanan to create six more IAOs instead of the previously established 10 IAOs.

Devanadera also approved Libanan’s recommendation to designate overall immigration directors who will oversee the operation of the IAOs for National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The office will render full immigration services to its clients including its intelligence, law and legal enforcement functions.

Libanan also named BI Executive Director Franklin Littaua as chairman of the bureau’s regional regionalization program and was tasked to coordinate and supervise the operations of all the IAOs nationwide.

In Metro Manila, Libanan appointed Patch Arbas, BI technical staff chief, as overall area director of the five IAOs in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Devanadera’s order, which amended a previous DoJ order last May establishing 10 IAOs nationwide takes effect this January.

“The new offices were created pursuant to the regionalization program that we have initiated to decentralize the BI’s operations and bring the agency’s services closer to foreigners based in the provinces,” Libanan said.

The BI chief added that the project also aims to enhance the bureau’s capability to monitor and go after illegal aliens in the provinces prevent human trafficking in the different subports by fielding more BI operatives and immigration officers to the various regions of the country.

Under the new organizational setup, there are now a total of 16 IAOs nationwide, five of which are in the NCR.

NCR will now have five IAOs, which are based in Manila and in the cities of Mandaluyong, Caloocan, Quezon, and Parañaque.

Last Tuesday, Libanan together with Paranaque City Mayor Florencio Bernabe and other BI officials inaugurated the AIO NCR-South in Neo Chinatown, Macapagal Avenue. The NCR-South is being headed by lawyer Henry Tubban Jr.

Littaua said that Region I and Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) under IAO-I will be based in San Fernando City, La Union, while IAO-II that covers Region 2 will have its headquarters in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.