MANILA — Additional 57 officers from other Immigration offices have been deployed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for the Holy Week, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced Monday.
The deployment of additional personnel aims to lessen the long queues at the country’s main gateway, as the BI and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) expect a surge of passengers this Holy Week.
In a statement, BI Port Operations Division chief, Grifton Medina, issued some reminders for overseas-bound passengers.
He advised passengers to check in at least three hours before the flight.
“Studies showed that travelers who check in early but delay immigration clearance until the last minute adds to the congestion in the immigration area. This could be avoided,” he said.
Foreign tourists who have stayed in the Philippines for more than six months, he said, must secure and pay their emigration clearance certificates.
Meanwhile, Foreigners with ACR I-Cards must secure their re-entry permits before going to the airport.
Government officials and employees, on the other hand, should secure the required authority to travel abroad.
Minors unaccompanied by parents should have the required clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Moreover, Medina also noted that the e-gates (electronic gates) installed at NAIA would decrease the processing time by a third.
The e-gates were installed at NAIA’s arrival area, and could be used by Filipino passport holders.
Medina earlier told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that using the e-gate would only take eight to 15 seconds to process the entry of a passenger, which is about one third of the usual processing time in an immigration counter. Ma. Cristina Arayata / PNA – northboundasia.com