BI defers over 45,000 departures of passengers in 2016

MANILA—More than 45,000 departures of passengers were deferred by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) last year for failure to comply with the government’s requirements for departing Filipino tourists.

Statistics revealed that the figure is part of the 111,947 individuals referred for secondary interview in 2016, while the remaining 66,631 were allowed to depart.

BI records showed that the number included 667 suspected human trafficking victims and 601 others believed to be victims of illegal recruiters who were immediately turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.

These passengers were not allowed to travel pursuant to the “Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International bound Passengers” (Department of Justice Memorandum Circular No. 36).

With this, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente assured that immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other ports will remain vigilant in screening departing Filipino travelers to make sure that they do not fall prey to human traffickers and illegal recruiters.

It was learned that under the present administration, a total of 15,408 passengers’ departure were deferred at the NAIA terminals and the five other international airports and seaports nationwide, particularly Mactan, Clark, Iloilo, Kalibo, Davao, and Zamboanga from July 1 to the first week of October.

A report from the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) revealed that most of the passengers were found to have doubtful purposes in leaving the country.

The team of immigration officers that conducts secondary interview of departing travelers added that most of the travelers reportedly carried fraudulent supporting travel documents while others misrepresented themselves and some had unverified employment visas.

Traditionally, the bulk of the passengers were bound for the Middle East while a few were destined for other countries in Asia and North America.

On the other hand, Morente noted that several BI personnel suspected of conniving with these syndicates are already being investigated by the board of discipline.

“We cannot allow these syndicates to continue preying on our poor countrymen who are forced to go abroad because of their poverty,” he added.