Despite having proper requirements, Fil-Can sisters denied boarding halfway their trip to PH after passing of grandfather

With travel restrictions being in place in most countries due to pandemic, two Filipino-Canadian sisters prepared everything carefully before flying back to the Philippines to be with their family as they grieve for the passing of their beloved grandfather. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

These two sisters took care of all the necessary requirements for them to be granted exemption from the travel restrictions, but even with these required documents and confirmation from concerned officials who said that they can be allowed entry in the Philippines, they were allegedly forced to return to Canada halfway through their trip to their home country.

Maranda Reyes, 25, and Marjory Reyes, 18, initially planned to go back to the Philippines to stay with their grandfather due to his worsening health condition. Unfortunately, he passed away three days prior to their scheduled flight which was why their desire to come home became stronger to grieve with their grandmother and family.

Even with a heavy heart, the Reyes sisters left for the Philippines on January 7, Thursday, via Air Canada. Their scheduled itinerary was to travel from Vancouver International Airport to Manila, with a connecting flight through Narita International Airport. They brought with them the required documents, as well as boarding passes for both their flights that were given to them in Vancouver.

But what could have been a smooth trip suddenly became difficult for the two when they arrived at Narita for their connecting flight to Manila via All Nippon Airways (ANA). This was where they were allegedly denied boarding for their next flight by different Air Canada staff in the area. The staff told them that “they ‘thought’ we did not have the proper requirements,” according to Maranda’s Facebook post.

The Philippine government recently imposed travel restrictions in some countries, including Canada, following the detection of new coronavirus variants. Before heading to the Philippines, Maranda and Marjory constantly checked all regulations and necessary documents for their trip to confirm if they still met the requirements that were needed. They also contacted the Philippine embassy in Vancouver, as well as airport staff in the Philippines, to make sure that all their documents needed for returning citizens of dual status were correct.

Maranda and Marjory presented all their requirements, which were confirmed to be correct, to the staff in Japan but they were still allegedly denied boarding. The two sisters also sought help from the Philippine embassy in Osaka and Tokyo which, Maranda said, were both “confused” as to why they were not allowed to go on with their trip despite having proper identification.

“The local Philippine consulate in Tokyo provided support and confirmed our documents were approved and would be allowed entry. If we were not Filipino nationals and they did not recognize us as such, they would not have supported us with this,” Maranda told Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI).

She also narrated that their belongings were taken away from them by the Air Canada staff in Japan and placed onto a flight back to Vancouver without their consent. She recalled that at least six staff members were surrounding them at that time and telling them to leave, even though they were asked to wait by the consulate.

“They refused to listen or acknowledge my words or that of the consulate representative. I was begging them to listen and wait for the consulate to call back, but they started taking our things and walking towards the gate for the return flight to Vancouver,” she said.

“We were continually threatened with fines and sanctions even as the consulate voiced their support for our trip and offered several solutions including providing us with additional emergency documents to appease the airline staff,” she added.

Their experience at Narita even added to the weight in their hearts, saying they were “so hurt” by the way they were treated.

“This was not and is not about the legitimacy of our documents, rather the lack of patience and empathy as we attempted to communicate and resolve the issue at hand. We aren’t asking for much, just for Air Canada and All Nippon Airways to take ownership of the poor management and treatment of my sister and I and this entire situation,” Maranda stressed.

Maranda said the matter has been being investigated further by Air Canada and ANA after they brought this up to them.

The Reyes sisters boarded a flight with Philippine Airlines (PAL) and landed safely in their homeland on Saturday night (Manila time), January 16. They are currently undergoing mandatory quarantine.

“Flight with PAL was smooth and we had no issues at all,” she said.