People queue at the check-in counters at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila on December 22, 2023, ahead of Christmas celebrations. (AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Daily nationwide arrivals nearly reached 60,000 in the days leading up to Christmas, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported Sunday.
This figure marks an increase from the 51,000 arrivals at the country’s international airports recorded at the beginning of December.
“On December 1, the BI recorded 51,390 arrivals at all international airports in the country. The figure rose to 59,541 on December 22 and 58,993 on December 23,” the bureau said in a press release.
More than 85 percent of these passengers arrived through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, it added.
The BI also noted 31,408 departures from the country on December 23, compared to 25,759 on December 1.
Immigration Chief Norman Tansingco advised arriving Filipinos to use e-gates for faster immigration processing and reminded passengers to register at etravel.gov.ph at least 72 hours before entering or leaving the country.
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