BI readies new batch of inspectors for holiday season

Immigration officers will closely scrutinize travel documents of Filipinos going abroad as part of new efforts by the government to curb human trafficking. (Richard A. Reyes/Inqjuirer) 

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced Saturday that a new batch of immigration inspectors will be deployed before Christmas.

The BI is currently training 38 personnel at the Philippine Immigration Academy within Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. These individuals will serve as immigration officers, assistants, administrative aides and officers, and fingerprint examiners.

“The immigration officers are set to be deployed in the frontlines in time for Christmas, while the other trainees will act as immigration officers on augmentation teams,” the BI said in a press release.

This batch is part of the agency’s effort to expand its workforce, according to the BI.

To ensure efficient service to travelers, the new frontliners are receiving training in Philippine immigration laws and policies, as well as soft skills like communication, customer service, and conflict resolution.

“After the issues we have encountered, we saw the need to up soft skills training wherein our frontliners are trained in communication, customer service, and conflict resolution,” Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.

“This allows for a more holistic training, which we hope would significantly improve our services,” he said.

The BI noted that this batch of immigration inspectors will graduate on December 11 and are expected to be deployed immediately after graduation.

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