BI appeals for patience amid expected passenger influx in airports for Undas

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday appealed to passengers to remain patient amid the expected influx and long queues in airports this Undas season.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said inconveniences may be inevitable as flights carrying many passengers arrive or depart simultaneously at the airport.

“I have directed our immigration supervisors to see to it that all our counters are manned and all maximum personnel are deployed to ensure uninterrupted service to the traveling public,” Morente said in a statement.

BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said more than 500 immigration officers have been deployed across three terminals of the country’s main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

Medina said immigration officers were instructed not to be late or absent for work, especially during peak seasons such as Undas.

Moreover, immigration officers were also ordered not to take a leave of absence until after the holiday.

The immigration officers are stationed at counters where passengers complete their immigration arrival and departure formalities.

“All counters are manned to ensure that we provide our service efficiently,” Medina said.

Citing previous statistics, the immigration bureau said that passenger volume at Naia usually increases by an average of six to 10 percent during the Undas season.

The number of passengers at the airport is expected to rise to more than half a million next week.

This is higher than the 493,000 passengers recorded during the same period last year.

BI earlier placed its personnel in the different ports on heightened alert to ensure that the country’s border security is not compromised amid the busy season. /je