Number of int’l travelers since start of lockdown drops 95 percent — BI

Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Image from miaa.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines — The number of international travelers who entered and exited the country from March to June this year dropped by at least 95 percent compared to figures from the same period last year, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported Wednesday.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that the number of international arrivals from March 16 to June 30 declined by more than 96 percent compared to last year while departure volume declined by 95 percent.

Morente said the drop is attributed to the suspension of international flights by different airlines, as well as the imposition of travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We do not foresee these statistics to rise in the near future while the entire world is still fighting to defeat this coronavirus,” Morente said in a statement.

Immigration Deputy Spokesperson and BI National Operations Center (BINOC) Acting Chief Melvin Mabulac said that only 189,000 passengers arrived in the country from March 16 to June 30 this year compared to the 5.16 million passengers who arrived in the same period in 2019.

Meanwhile, Mabulac added that only 238,000 passengers left the country from  March 16 to June 30 this year compared to the 5.18 million who departed in that time last year.

Mabulac explained that the bulk of passengers arrived and departed at the Ninoy Aquino Interntional Airport (NAIA) since all the other international ports were closed during the lockdown, adding that government only allowed international flights to resume at the Clark and Mactan airports in June.

Morente, meanwhile, assured the public that the immigration bureau is manning the country’s ports and will continue to be vigilant in thwarting the entry of unwanted aliens, and in combatting human trafficking.