July
23, 2004
HON.
ALPIDIO F. FERNANDEZ, JR.
Commissioner
Magallanes
Drive
Intramuros,
Manila
Dear
Commissioner Fernandez,
Kindly
allow us first to introduce ourselves. We are the Japanese Chamber of Commerce
and Industry of the Philippines, Inc. (JCCIPI), an association of Japanese
companies doing business in the country.
On
behalf of the JCCIPI, we write to respectfully express our collective concern
and dismay regarding a new unpublished requirement or regulation of the Bureau
regarding Special Return Certificates (SRCs).
We
are informed that under this new regulation now being enforced, when an SRC is
duly filled up with endorsements on departures and arrivals such that no
further entries can be made by an Immigration Inspector for lack of space
thereon, then an alien has to apply for an altogether new SRC, notwithstanding
that the current one remains valid.
This
new procedure, of which incidentally our businessmen had no prior notice from
the Bureau, appears to discontinue the officially sanctioned practice of simply
attaching an appropriate form/paper to the SRC in order that an Immigration
Inspector may make further departure-and-arrival endorsements on an otherwise
subsisting SRC.
While the JCCIPI remains committed to faithfully observing all Philippine immigration regulations, yet in our honest belief, the new one in question as we understand it constitutes an undue requirement that imposes an unnecessary hardship that may include new fingerprinting, and even costs, on foreigner businessmen. Indeed, the time required to comply with the new procedure may even unwittingly impede the flow of commerce itself.
We
therefore respectfully request the Bureau of Immigration for clarification on
this new regulation and, if possible, the suspension of its implementation
pending further information.
We eagerly look forward to your response and perhaps
even having the pleasure of personally meeting you in the near future.
Thank you.
Very
truly yours,
President
(signed )
cc:
Hon. Ma. MERCEDITAS N. GUTIERREZ
Secretary of Justice
Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Mr. REYNALDO S. JOSON
Chief, Alien Registration Division
Bureau of Immigration
Magallanes
Drive
Intramuros,
Manila