“I can work with secretary of Justice.”
This was the response of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II’s remark that the latter cannot work with the top BI official because of two top officials who were sacked by President Rodrigo Duterte because of the alleged P50-million bribery scandal.
The justice secretary is pushing for a total revamp of the bureau and said he can no longer work with Morente, who is supposedly very close to dismissed BI intelligence chief Charles Calima and Edward Chan, who were tagged in the bribery scandal.
The BI chief is also being implicated in the bribery case involving former deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles filed by former police officer Wally Sombero, a close associate of gambling tycoon Jack Lam.
But Morente strongly denied the accusation, saying the bureau has already achieved numerous accomplishments in terms of public service and implemented changes in the bureau, particularly at the international airports and seaports nationwide.
“In the last 38 years of my military and police service, I have worked with superiors with different personalities, management and leadership styles. As a professional, the focus has always been on the task at hand, and achieving the targets.
“I have been working with Secretary Aguirre since July 2016, and a number of milestones have been achieved in the last five and a half months. My training and my oath of office is to serve the Filipino people and protect the interests of our country,” he said.
Morente said he will serve at the pleasure of the President, and the reform agenda that he have implemented is according to his specific direction to secure our borders, improve service efficiency and eradicate corruption in the bureaucracy.
The BI chief has encouraged all his fellow servants in government, particularly in the Bureau of Immigration, not to lose sight of the mandate.
“Let’s stay focused on serving the Filipino people. This is not the time to stray from the path of change under President Duterte’s leadership,” he added.