38,522 travelers barred from leaving PH in 2019

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) barred 38,522 travelers from leaving the country last year as part of its campaign against human trafficking.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the figure was 16 percent higher compared to 2018. BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said most of the individuals failed to comply with the requirements for overseas-bound passengers spelled out in guidelines promulgated by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

According to the BI, about 85 percent or nearly 33,000 of these passengers were stopped at Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the rest were stopped in the airports of Mactan, Clark, Iloilo, Kalibo, and Davao. They were usually intercepted for misrepresentation or for submitting fraudulent supporting and travel documents. —TINA G. SANTOS