Dress properly.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has begun enforcing this regulation in barring people wearing shorts, undershirts and slippers from its main building and premises in Intramuros, Manila.

In a memorandum, Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. imposed a dress code for all persons entering the building.

He directed the agency’s civil security unit to strictly implement the code and employees manning the frontline services were told not to entertain any violators, foreigners and Filipinos alike.

BI officials and employees welcomed David’s order as they noted that the bureau had become too lax in enforcing the dress code in recent years.

“I doubt if Filipinos abroad could enter the immigration offices in other countries if they are not properly dressed,” Roque Santos, an employee assigned to the records section told reporters.

He and other employees observed that many foreigners had been openly violating the dress code by wearing shorts, undershirts and slippers when transacting business at the bureau.

“Although we welcome the entry of foreign visitors into our country, we should not allow them to undermine the integrity of our bureau by allowing them to enter our offices in sando, slippers and shorts,” said Danilo Almeda, chief of the alien regulation division.

Felino Quirante Jr., chief of the administrative division, said the immigration agency, like any other government office, was mandated to implement the proper dress code as it caters not only to the foreigners but also to Filipinos.

Quirante recalled that security guards used to be very strict in enforcing the code, but the policy was relaxed during the previous administration.

Lawyer Arvin Santos, BI legal chief, said he had instructed all legal and hearing officers not to entertain improperly dressed foreign visa applicants.