No vacation leaves for immigration airport staff during holiday season — BI

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said its airport personnel are barred from going on leave starting December to ensure sufficient service for travelers during the upcoming holiday season.

BI port personnel may not apply for vacation leave from December 1 until January 15, 2021, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said in a statement.

The prohibition applies to all immigration personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the airports in Mactan Cebu, Clark, Pampanga; Kalibo, Iloilo, Davao, and Laoag; and the Zamboanga international seaport, said BI port operations division chief Candy Tan.

The bureau is implementing the ban even as it expects only a “slight to moderate” increase in passenger volume considering that travel restrictions are still in place in many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thus, we are confident that the number of immigration officers currently deployed at the ports are enough to facilitate the efficient conduct of immigration formalities for arriving and departing passengers,” Morente said.

The BI previously said it expects a much lower turnout in arriving passengers until the end of the year as tourism worldwide took a hit from the pandemic.

According to immigration records, only 3.5 million passengers arrived from January to September, significantly lower than the almost 13 million travelers who entered the Philippines in the same period last year. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News