Immigration bureau in ‘full force’ as daily int’l arrivals reach 35,000

The Bureau of Immigration logo is superimposed over the airport scene. INQUIRER.net FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Thursday they are in “full force” as it noted the increase in the daily international arrivals at airports around the country.

According to the BI, they are processing 35,000 daily arrivals and around 29,000 international departures.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Thursday said that the rise in arrivals and departures is a sign of improving worldwide tourism.

Tansingco said he ordered the Port Operations Division to make sure that sufficient manpower is deployed to assist passengers.

“We recently attended an immigration forum in Japan, and we were able to discuss with other immigration agencies worldwide that there is really an evident increase in travelers. Many reported long immigration lines in their own countries,” he said in a statement.

“All counters are manned, and passengers are processed within the 45 second international standard. The e-gates are also operational, and allows decreasing processing time to as low as 8 seconds for Filipinos,” he added.

READ: DOT breaches tourism target with over 2 million travelers to PH

Earlier, the BI said their frontline personnel are prohibited from going on leave during the holiday season.

KGA