The Bureau of Immigration and Deportation in Dumaguete City posted a 12.92 percent increase in its collection from tourists in 2006 compared to that earned in 2005.

Peter Bueno, acting alien control officer, disclosed that his office collected P15,116,529 last year and in 2005, P13,387,150. "Since we started in 1999, our collection has been increasing by around two to three million each year," he said.

The bulk of the fees collected are from tourists who visited the province, whose number has increased steadily, Bueno said.

Koreans comprise the highest number of tourists in Oriental Negros.

Records show that in January 2007, some 716 tourists have visited the province. Of the total, 277 were Koreans.

Malacañang had lauded the BID for recording its highest collection of fees totaling P1.468 billion last year.

The 2006 figure, which was 31 percent over the previous year's P1.22 billion, was the highest so far in the 66-year history of the bureau. The BID is an attached agency of the Department of Justice.*RG

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