Immigration officers man their posts at the Naia Terminal 1. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has beefed up its security and increased its manpower at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) and other international airports in the country in preparation for the holding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit next week, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Wednesday.
Morente said the BI has already deployed an additional 50 Immigration officers to conduct arrival and departure formalities for thousands of foreign delegates who will be arriving at the country’s airports.
READ: Tight security in place for Asean Summit
“It is very imperative that we have more than enough personnel manning our airports during one of the most important and momentous international gatherings in our nation’s history,” Morente said in a statement.
The officers deployed in airports were from the BI central office in Manila and various field offices and seaports nationwide, according to Immigration Chief Personnel Officer and Acting Spokesman Grifton Medina.
They also include some top and senior BI officials who are ready to conduct immigration formalities for the Asean delegates if the need arises, Medina said.
Special teams of immigration officers were already formed to process the documents of Asean delegates and other foreign visitors who will be arriving aboard chartered or special flights, BI Port Operations Division Chief Marc Red Mariñas said.
Mariñas has also instructed the BI Airport Operations Section to monitor the attendance of immigration officers at international airports next week and ensure that all immigration counters are adequately manned during the summit week.
He also said several immigration supervisors were also dispatched to help oversee and facilitate the proper and orderly processing of the arriving foreign dignitaries and delegation. /jpv
RELATED STORY
PH to impose ‘high level’ of security for Asean summit