MANILA. Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) abolished on Wednesday the Bureau of Immigration's (BI) Migration Compliance and Monitoring Group (MCMG) in its continuing revamp of immigration officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

This is in keeping with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's directive to eradicate human trafficking activities in the country.

To replace the MCMG, the Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) was established, which will strictly screen documents of inbound and outbound travellers.

BI-OIC Atty. Ronaldo Ledesma bared in a press conference that "it appears that the MCMG is part of human trafficking activities in RP."

"There are reports of complicity of immigration personnel at the MCMG and this move to abolish it was an instruction of Secretary de Lima," he said.

Fiscal Jonathan Lledo, chairman of the National Task Force  on Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), said there is an ongoing investigation of MCMG officials and personnel and gathering of evidence, but no one has been placed on preventive suspension yet. 

He also bared there is an ongoing probe into the possible complicity of NAIA immigration officials and personnel in the case of Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, who was arrested in Hong Kong last July 11 in possession of cocaine.

An initial report was submitted to DOJ Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar for his evaluation, according to Lledo.

The report contains specific names of personnel who may be held liable for the breach in security in Singson's case, but BI and IACAT officials refused to divulge the names for now.

New BI Airport Operations Division acting chief Atty. Arvin Santos, who recently replaced Ferdinand Sampol, said all 50 officials and personnel of the now-defunct IACAT have been instructed to report to his division for assignment "at the counters" in the absence of any fact linking them to the Singson incident.

"As of this moment, since there is no case yet, they are instructed to perform regular functions as immigration officers. But once there are charges, investigation will be pursued," Santos said.

Named TCEU over-all team leader is Benito Se. With him are Team Leaders Norberto Quedado at NAIA1, Francis Dennis Robles at NAIA2 and Cecille Jonathan Orozco at NAIA3.

Ledesma said the TCEU will have more teeth in fighting human trafficking than MCMG because it can effect arrests while the latter is only focused on monitoring.