WHEREAS, the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940 (Commonwealth Act No. 613), as amended, mandates the Bureau of Immigration (BI) as the agency principally responsible for the administration and enforcement of foreigners ™ admission, deportation and registration of laws;

WHEREAS, CA 613, Secs. 10, 15 and 37(d) provide that foreigners have the burden of proof to show that they entered the Philippines lawfully through valid passports and visas;

WHEREAS, RA 562, Sec. 7, provides that foreigners subject to registration shall upon demand by any immigration official exhibit their ACR I-CARDS;

WHEREAS, there are foreigners who fail to present their passports and ACR I-CARDS without justifiable reasons;

NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to CA 613, Sec. 3 granting rule-making power to the Commissioner, the following shall be observed:

Section 1. Presentation of Immigration Documents - Upon demand by immigration officials, foreigners shall have forty eight (48) hours to present their passports and/or ACR I-Cards ( œimmigration documents ).

Any foreigner who fails to present his immigration documents within the 48 hour period shall be subject to deportation proceedings under CA 613, Secs. 37(a)(1), 37 (a)(2), 37(a)(7) and all other applicable sections in CA 613.

Section 2. Exception to the 48 Hour Requirement - In cases when the foreigners are subject of a Mission Order, the foreigners shall be required to present their immigration documents immediately.

Section 3. Duty of Immigration Official - Any immigration official who shall demand the production of immigration documents shall (i) extend utmost courtesy; (ii) be in proper official uniform; and (iii) present a valid BI Identification Card.

Any immigration official who fails to observe the foregoing protocol shall be liable for appropriate disciplinary sanctions.

Section 4. Effectivity - This Operations Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days from receipt of the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR), U.P. Law Center, U.P. Diliman, Quezon City.

20 October 2014

(SGD) SIEGFRED B. MISON
Commissioner