Immigration agents to work on days off

To help address the problem of long queues at the immigration counters of the international airport, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Saturday created a reserve pool of immigration officers who may elect to work during their days off.

The Immigration Officers Reserve Pool will be staffed by immigration personnel assigned to the three terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), according to a memo issued by Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr.

“It will also bolster our immigration officers’ knowledge and experience in discharging their responsibilities and meeting the challenges of their job as gatekeepers of our country,” David said in a statement.

He said the pool would be composed of immigration officers who are “ready, able and willing” to perform counter duty at Naia even during their days off “if the need arises.”

The immigration officers may also be allowed to extend their working hours from before or after midnight to service passengers of delayed flights, David added.

The immigration chief said the project was launched to “encourage and imbibe the spirit of volunteerism” among immigration officers.

Those willing to join the pool may signify their intention by filling out a volunteer form at the office of the deputy chief for administration of the BI airport operation division, David said.

Those enrolled in the reserve pool will be asked to serve counter duty whenever there are available counters for passengers queueing for immigration arrival and departure procedures, he said.—Philip C. Tubeza