341 immigration officers on standby

Expect shorter lines at Naia with more immigration officers manning counters. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

A total of 341 personnel have been placed on standby by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to man its airport counters in anticipation of the increase in passenger traffic for Holy Week.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said on Tuesday that he had ordered the employees to forgo their vacation and be prepared for their deployment as reserve officers to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

“I directed them to be ready to report to Naia when called starting on Holy Wednesday until Easter Sunday. I asked them … to make this sacrifice for the benefit of the public,” Morente added.

At the same time, he reminded passengers to heed the advice of Manila International Airport Authority for them to be at the airport three hours before their flight.

The 341 immigration employees are assigned at the agency’s main office in Intramuros, Manila, and will be deployed only if necessary.

They are in addition to the 171 immigration personnel who were recently transferred to Naia in preparation for the expected hike in passenger traffic before and after Holy Week.

Earlier, 32 immigration officers resigned following the nonpayment of their overtime pay.

Some 50 others are planning to go on a six-month leave to look for new jobs, according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre.

Their decision was prompted by President Duterte’s veto of the BI’s use of express lane fees as payment for their overtime pay.

The lack of immigration officers manning the airport counters resulted in long lines with Naia officials and an airline company advising departing passengers to be at Naia five hours before their flight.

Morente explained that the additional 341 BI employees would be tapped only in the event of a huge increase in passenger volume at Naia during the four-day Holy Week break.

He noted that in the past days, there were shorter lines at the airport due to the augmentation in the BI’s manpower. Fewer absences were also recorded among immigration personnel.

“I appealed to them to stay put and focus on their sworn duty as everything is being done to address their financial plight. I am glad that many of them heeded our appeal for patience,” Morente said.

He commended the BI employees who followed his directive, noting they were going through a very hard time.