The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that its offices in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces of Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite will continue to operate with a skeleton workforce.
In a public advisory, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the downsizing of the BI’s operations is in compliance with the resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), placing the NCR Plus area bubble under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions.
The IATF directed all government offices in the said areas to maintain a skeleton workforce of up to a maximum of 50 percent of their operational capacity.
Thus, Morente said the BI main bldg. In Intramuros, Manila and its satellite and extension offices in the NCR Plus will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The BI chief also advised the public that only those who have registered and secured slots via the bureau’s online appointment system can transact business in the bureau’s main bldg. In Manila.
BI offices in NCR+ remain open with a skeleton workforce under stricter GCQ
“We appeal to our clientele to bear with us as this appointment scheme is necessary to ensure strict social distancing and protect everyone from getting infected with the virus,” he said.
Meanwhile, Atty. Carlos Capulong, BI port operations chief, said the bureau is operating at full capacity at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) so as not to compromise its service to the traveling public.
Capulong noted that while there are fewer international flights now due to the ban on the entry of travelers from seven countries, he anticipates a possible gradual increase in these flights in the next few months as the country slowly reopens its borders.
“We are anticipating new batches of immigration officers to be deployed to our airports to ensure we have the adequate personnel to cope with this anticipated increase in the volume of international passengers,” he said.
Capulong added that international flight operations could begin returning to normal before the year ends as the country aggressively pursues its vaccination program for all citizens.
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