Fifty new immigration officers have been deployed in different airports in the country to enhance border control operations during the holiday season, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Tuesday. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Tuesday emphasized the need for a bolstered workforce during the holiday season, citing the projected 4 million arrivals and 3.8 million departures in the fourth quarter of 2023. The new immigration officers who have just completed a condensed three-week Border Control Officers’ module, were stationed at key locations, including Cebu, Bohol, Caticlan, and Clark international airports. To streamline the immigration process, the BI has also mobilized augmentation and rapid response teams and introduced mobile counters to address peak travel times. He noted that some waiting time is anticipated during busy periods but assures travelers that it is manageable, urging early arrival for smoother processing. ‘We are fully prepared for the peak season and are maximizing our manpower to better service the traveling public,’ he said in a statement. Tansingco added that they have recorded around 32,000 average arrivals and 36,000 average departures in the past few days. Meanwhile, the BI warned the public against traffickers recruiting Filipinos to work in China with the appropriate overseas employment visas. The BI Commissioner issued the warning upon learning of the arrival of five Filipinos repatriated from China. The passengers, who recently arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), were repatriated after being arrested and detained by Chinese immigration authorities for illegally working in the said country. Three of them arrived last Oct. 20 aboard an Air Asia flight while the two others arrived the next day via a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou province, China. During interviews conducted by members of the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the victims recounted how they were enticed by their recruiters to travel and work in China without securing the required overseas work permits from the government. They said they were able to land various jobs such as hotel housekeeper, caretaker, private tutor, and as household service workers. Tansingco said the experience of the repatriates should serve as a warning to other Filipinos that they should not be lured by promises of high-paying jobs from strangers and foreigners who will not help them the moment they encounter problems while working abroad.
Source: Philippines News Agency
