Immigration Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco conducts an inspection of operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. (File photo from the Facebook page of the Bureau of Immigration)
MANILA, Philippines — “Social media ridicule will not deter us from performing our mandate to combat human trafficking in our ports,” Bureau of Immigration (BI) chief Norman Tansingco said in a statement on Tuesday.
Tansingco said he had instructed the immigration officers to “keep doing their duties with dignity and patriotism.”
“I have asked them to stay focused on their jobs because what we are doing is to protect our countrymen from being subjected to abuse and maltreatment in foreign lands,” he said.
The BI has been receiving flak from social media users and even lawmakers after complaints from travelers that were posted on social media.
In one such incident, a Filipino woman said an immigration officer barraged her with “irrelevant questions” — even asking if she brought her college yearbook with her — which resulted in her missing her flight bound for Israel.
Tansingco said, however, that it appeared that the human trafficking syndicates themselves were behind what he called a smear campaign against the bureau.
“There will be no letup in our campaign so long as these traffickers and illegal recruiters continue to prey on our countrymen, who are sent to work abroad without proper documents and protection from the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tansingco also received reports of passengers being unruly during an inspection.
“Our officers are reminded to conduct their work professionally,” he said. “We request that the traveling public likewise return the respect towards our uniformed personnel.”