By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – Close to 190,000 inbound and outbound travelers were recorded on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day which are among the busiest periods of the year, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced Thursday.
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the BI’s ports nationwide recorded an influx of 186,193 travelers processed by immigration officers on Dec. 24 and 25.
On Christmas Eve, the BI recorded 52,437 arrivals and 41,895 departures across the country while on Christmas Day, there were 47,669 arrivals and 44,192 departures, demonstrating the robust movement of travelers during the holiday season.
The BI chief has acknowledged the unwavering dedication of BI personnel, noting that immigration officers nationwide remained on duty throughout the holidays to ensure efficient processing of passengers.
“Our officers are committed to providing seamless services despite the surge in traveler numbers during this peak season,” he said in a statement.
On the other hand, Viado is also anticipating a further increase in passenger traffic as more travelers are expected to arrive and depart following the New Year celebrations.
The BI also encouraged travelers to arrive early at airports and complete their pre-departure and arrival requirements to help ease the processing flow during the busy holiday period.
No let-up vs. trafficking
Meanwhile, the bureau reported the interception of a human trafficker and four victims by immigration personnel at the Clark International Airport (CRK) on Christmas morning.
BI immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) chief Mary Jane Hizon reported the interception of four victims and their escort after attempting to depart to Singapore via a Cebu Pacific flight on Dec. 25.
She said the four victims, all in their 20s, initially claimed to be traveling alone for tourism purposes. However, after verification by immigration personnel, they later admitted to be traveling together with a 38-year-old female escort.
The victims admitted that they were actually bound for Cambodia to work as encoders in a POGO-like company after being recruited by an Indonesian woman. Their escort admitted that she was instructed by the recruiter to assist the 4 victims in entering Singapore and eventually crossing to Cambodia.
The victims admitted to have been offered a PHP60,000 salary to work illegally abroad.
Apart from the Christmas interception, the BI also intercepted numerous cases of suspected recruitment for scams and catfishing hubs this month.
Last Dec. 10, a 28-year-old man bound for Thailand at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 was intercepted after claiming to be a tourist but later admitting that he was recruited online and given documents to be transported to Laos via Bangkok.
The following day, four individuals —three women and one man— presented themselves as officemates on a company trip to Thailand with an allegedly foreign national supervisor, but later admitted their true destination was Cambodia to work illegally.
On Dec. 18, five individuals—two men and three women—claimed they were traveling for work in Thailand but later admitted they were being illegally transported to Myanmar. They used counterfeit departure stamps to attempt to evade immigration checks and paid PHP20,000 to their recruiters.
On Dec. 21, two distinct interceptions occurred: two women were stopped at the CRK en route to Thailand, while three men were intercepted at the NAIA Terminal 3 for claiming to travel to Singapore for leisure.
All five admitted they had been recruited for customer service jobs with a promised salary of PHP50,000 per month.
The next day, a 27-year-old female claimed she was traveling alone to Thailand but later confessed she had been recruited to work in the country under pretenses at Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
All victims, as well as their facilitator, have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and to pursue legal action against their recruiters. (PNA)
