The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it is strengthening its workforce at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in preparation for the Christmas holiday season.
Below is the press release of BI published on their Facebook account:
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is augmenting its manpower at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) this December as a proactive measure during the Christmas holiday season.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente issued a directive deploying immigration officers assigned at the bureau’s main office and other satellite, extension, and field offices in Metro Manila to the NAIA to render primary inspection duties at the airport’s immigration arrival and departure counters.
“This is a temporary measure that we are taking proactively,” said Morente. “While we do not expect a major rise in the number of travelers this holiday season, we’d rather err on the side of caution and beef up our deployment,” he added.
The directive comes after the recent update on international travel restrictions by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), which again allowed the visa free entry of balikbayans.
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BI augments manpower at NAIA
Immigration officers presently assigned in BI offices in Metro Manila are required to comply with the directive, except for division and section chiefs, seniors, and those suffering from serious illnesses.
It was learned that all of the BI’s division chiefs have already submitted the names of immigration officers assigned in their offices who will be deployed to the NAIA starting this week.
Atty. Candy Tan, BI port operations division chief, said she sought the augmentation of BI personnel at the premiere port in anticipation of a slight increase in the number of international flights and volume of passengers in the coming weeks despit travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tan added that the latest IATF resolution allowing Balikbayans and their alien spouses and children traveling with them to re-enter the country could usher in a rise in international passenger arrivals as the holiday season approaches.
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