The Bureau of Immigration (BI) lost P869.24 million last year after it stopped collecting express lane fees starting in June — because of a misinterpretation of President Rodrigo Duterte’s veto on the use of the funds to pay for its personnel.

In its 2017 annual audit report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said the bureau should have kept imposing the express lane charges.

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The President, in his Dec. 22, 2016, message, stopped the bureau from using the charges for the salaries of its casual, contractual, confidential and job-order personnel.

The bureau terminated the collection of the charges effective June 2017.

Only P568.52 million ended up being collected from January to May 2017.

The COA stressed that “it is only the use of express lane charges collected that was vetoed by the President and not the collection from express lane charges.” —Vince F. Nonato

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