BI ready for increase in passenger arrivals
THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has expressed readiness for the planned increase of the arrivals cap for international passengers to accommodate more returning overseas Filipinos.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said he has instructed the BI’s Port Operations Division to conduct an assessment of manpower needed to service the proposed increase in arrivals.
The move comes after the announcement of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that it plans to increase the arrival cap by exploring alternative gateways to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Clark International Airport, and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
“With the recent hiring of almost a hundred immigration officers, we are confident that we can supply the needed manpower for the possible increase in arrivals,” said Morente.
It can be recalled that earlier this month, 99 new immigration officers have been deployed to NAIA. Said immigration officers are undergoing their on-the-job training prior to their full deployment in the immigration counters.
“An additional batch of newly-hired immigration officers are expected to be trained by the year-end,” said Morente. “We are currently fast tracking their application so they can be deployed in time for the increase of the number of international passengers,” he added.
Morente said he remains hopeful that international travel will bounce back soon, following the aggressive vaccination campaign of the government.
