Filipino citizens are the top arrivals for December 2021, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Data from the BI showed that 141,216 Filipinos arrived during the holiday season, many of which are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
This was followed by Americans with 12,455 arrivals, Canadians with 2,805 and Japanese with 1,645.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente shared that most of those who arrived are balikbayans coming home to their families in the Philippines to spend Christmas and New Year.
“This is expected since many of our kababayans who are now living abroad wish to spend the holidays here with their families,” said Morente.
Meanwhile, BI Port Operations Division Chief Atty. Carlos Capulong shared that the arrivals this year for December 24 and 25 doubled compared to last year’s figures.
“Last year, there were only 5,478 arrivals for the two days, while this year, it increased 100% to 11,074 for the Christmas eve and Christmas day,” said Capulong. “While the numbers are still relatively low, we are confident that this increase will continue until next year, given the government’s aggressive vaccination campaign,” he stated.
Filipinos, Americans top arrivals for holiday season
Capulong also thanked immigration officers who were on duty during Christmas. “Our officers sacrifice their time with their families to render their duty and provide service for incoming and outgoing passengers,” said Capulong.
He added that frontliners were also barred from going on vacations during the peak season.
Earlier, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) shared that the international arrival and departure processing was smooth sailing during the Christmas season.
According to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, while a handful of flights were added, the volume of passengers remained manageable during Christmas eve and on December 25.
Morente shared that the arrival cap of inbound passengers remained at 4,000 due to the Omicron variant, hence the BI did not expect a significant rise in the number of travelers.
“Nevertheless, our manpower is in full force during the holiday season to ensure speedy processing in case there is a rise in the number of arriving and departing passengers,” said Morente.
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