Bureau of Immigration (BI) fielded 155 additional immigration officers to service arriving and departing passengers during the holy week.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that he ordered BI Terminal Heads to ensure that all counters are fully manned during the peak season.
“We have deployed additional personnel to service travelers during the holy week, when we expect a significant rise in travelers,” said Tansingco.
Said immigration officers are assigned in different offices of the Bureau, and were temporarily deployed to render duties at the Clark International Airport and Terminals 1, 2, and 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The BI projects that around 40,000 passengers will arrive and depart the country daily, starting next week.
Apart from the deployment, Tansingco also shared that they are processing the hiring of more than 140 additional immigration officers to be deployed within the year.
“Airport authorities also committed to expand the immigration area, to really ease up the congestion particularly in NAIA Terminal 3,” said Tansingco. “Right now the area is small, but once expanded, we will be able to add more counters and more immigration officers to service departing passengers,” he shared.
BI to go after trafficking syndicates
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco, on Thursday, welcomed the latest development in the case of a female immigration officer implicated in trafficking of victims to Cambodia.
Tansingco shared that they have received reports that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has initiated a case against said immigration officer, along with three others linked to the case for violation of the country’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, Illegal Recruitment in Large Scale, and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
It can be recalled that last January 15, six suspected victims of a crypto trafficking ring were rescued at the BI Clark International Airport after attempting to board a Jetstar flight to Phnom Penh.
The victims initially pretended to be tourists, but were found to have been recruited to in a call center in Cambodia, and were recruited through social media application Facebook.
“The immigration officer involved in this case was immediately relieved, and her case was elevated to the Department of Justice,” said Tansingco. “We welcome this latest development in the case against her, and we hope this serves as a warning against any government employee not to associate with traffickers and illegal recruiters.
Tansingco shared that the same immigration officer reportedly processed three victims repatriated last February 26 from Cambodia after being victimized by the trafficking ring.
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