E/CN.4/2003/85/Add.4 page 19 68. The Special Rapporteur learned about many programmes initiated in Bohol to assist and protect migrants and facilitate their reintegration. Municipal councils assisted in locating OFWs abroad; implemented anti-illegal recruitment campaigns; reached agreements with POEA and OWWA to cooperate in the prosecution of cases of illegal recruitment; initiated employment counselling services and skills development training. Also, non-governmental organization, in cooperation with municipal authorities and the central Government, started programmes aimed at involving the families of OFWs in income-generating programmes and cooperatives for the productive investment of remittances. The Special Rapporteur would like to express her full support for and encouragement of the initiatives undertaken by the local government. VI. IMMIGRANTS TO THE PHILIPPINES 69. Act No. 613, also known as “The Philippine Immigration Law of 1940”, regulates immigration to the Philippines. The Act states that the admission of foreigners is “a matter of privilege” and should be subject to national security and interests. The Bureau of Immigration under the Department of Justice, in coordination with other agencies, is responsible for the administration and enforcement of immigration and citizenship law and the admission of foreigners to the Philippines. The law generally provides for family reunion, allowing unmarried children under 21 years of age and the spouses of immigrants to join them. 70. The Act states that as a general rule, an alien who violates Philippine immigration laws does not commit a crime and is prosecuted before a quasi-judicial body where substantial evidence is necessary to prove guilt. Aliens can be detained as a preliminary step to deportation. Among the reasons for deportation are illegal entry and prostitution. 71. The Special Rapporteur visited the Bl Bicutan Detention Center in Camp Nagong Diwa, Taguig, Metro Manila. There were about 140 foreigners detained in the Center awaiting deportation or a decision by the immigration authorities. The Special Rapporteur was told that Egypt does not document Palestinian citizens wishing to migrate, and noted that a number of undocumented Palestinians were in the Center awaiting deportation. The Special Rapporteur was informed that a Palestinian citizen had died in the Center under mysterious circumstances. This was confirmed by his brother, who was still detained in the Center. The authorities informed the Special Rapporteur that investigations were ongoing. It was also reported that budget constraints seriously affected the conditions of detention of migrants, as the Special Rapporteur could observe. 72. The majority of detainees interviewed by the Special Rapporteur were married to Filipino women and alleged that their wives had reported them to the authorities for irregular stay in order to seize their possessions. 73. A 46-year-old man from Yemen had already been detained for 11 months at the time of his interview with the Special Rapporteur. He had been in the Philippines for six years, after marrying a Filipino woman in Kuwait. They decided to go back to the Philippines to start a business. He stated that his wife had reported him to the immigration authorities, claiming that his visa was forged and his stay in the Philippines irregular. He claimed that he was arrested

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