DFA: Invitation affidavits no guarantee of departure clearance to Malaysia

A letter or affidavit of invitation or support authenticated by the Philippine Embassy does not guarantee that Philippine immigration officers will grant clearance for departure to Malaysia. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stressed this Thursday after the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur received several calls from Filipino travelers and "sponsors." "Legitimate Filipino travelers to Malaysia are therefore advised not to rely too much on their affidavits of invitation, and (to) present other documents as proof of their personal capacity or that of their sponsor/s to undertake the trip," the DFA said in an article on the government portal. http://www.gov.ph/2010/12/30/philippine-embassy-in-kuala-lumpur-clarifies-authenticated-affidavit-of-invitationsupport-not-guarantee-of-cleared-departure-for-malaysia/ The DFA cited a letter from Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Ronaldo Ledesma to the DFA last Sept. 30, in which he made clear the policy. According to the DFA, Ledesma said that while the BI does not necessarily require an authenticated affidavit of support or guarantee, many Filipino travelers resort to this when they cannot show either their personal capacity or that of their sponsor to shoulder the costs of their trips. Nonetheless, having an authenticated affidavit of support does not guarantee departure clearance, the DFA quoted Ledesma’s letter as saying. “The affidavit of support still has to be read and assessed by the immigration officer as authentication only guarantees due execution by the affiant and does not guarantee its contents," Ledesma said. The DFA made this clarification after the Philippine Embassy suffered a barrage of calls from many Filipino travelers to Malaysia and their sponsors, who complained that their affidavits of invitation were not honored by Philippine immigration officers, causing them to be off-loaded from their respective flights. The DFA also said this measure is in compliance with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (RA 9208). The law mandates the BI to strictly monitor the departure of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Filipino fiancés/fiancées, and spouses of foreign nationals. "In pursuit of such mandate, the individual right to travel may thus be regulated by the BI at the Philippine international airports and seaports, whenever relevant BI officers and personnel reasonably detect a trafficking situation," the DFA said. It cited such laws as the Revised Penal Code, the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 and the Philippine Passport Act as the policy’s basis.—DM/TMJ/TJD, GMANews.TV