BI personnel warned vs. VIP treatment to expedite immigration processes

Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers have been warned against giving VIP treatment to passengers in all international airports nationwide.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Wednesday that BI employees should desist from escorting or facilitating arriving and departing passengers, either personally or via text messaging or phone calls, for the purpose of expediting the conduct of immigration formalities by immigration officers in the counters.

Morente issued the directive after he was told that a well-known personality, who arrived Monday night from Bangkok at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, was seen being escorted by a retired policeman.

GMA News Online asked for the identity of the said personality but BI spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang declined to give details.

Morente said the escort allegedly wore a pass from the airport’s pass control office when he met and accompanied the passenger and escorted him up to the immigration counter.

In his directive, Morente also said only BI employees who are on duty, and those who have travel orders, are allowed to be present in or at the premises of any international port entry at any given time.

With this, BI port operations chief Marc Mariñas issued on Tuesday a memorandum warning all BI personnel assigned at the airports to strictly obey the bureau’s “no travel facilitation, no loafing and no loitering” policy.

He said employees who disobey the directive would be dealt with severely and meted stiff disciplinary actions.

The BI chief said he would ask Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal to investigate the incident involving the well-known personality and take preventive measures to make sure it doesn't happen again. — MDM/KVD, GMA News