Bureau of Immigration readies for reopening of PH Borders to Tourists and Travelers

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) is gearing up for the possible reopening of the country’s borders to foreign tourists amid the continuing drop in the number of Covid-19 cases that led to the easing of some pandemic restrictions around the country.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that while the agency’s manpower needs to be beefed up in preparation for the entry of more foreign travelers, it has already put in place a response plan to address such a situation.

“Our frontline officers at the airports are ready and prepared, and we assure the traveling public of uninterrupted service should they decide to travel to the Philippines,” Morente said.

Part of the response plan, according to BI acting port operations chief, lawyer Carlos Capulong, is the mobilization of BI personnel assigned to the other operating units of his division to perform primary inspection and supervisory duties during times of heavy influx of passengers.

The setup would likely be implemented until the Department of Justice (DOJ) completes the hiring of around 195 new immigration officers who will be deployed in regional ports.

The BI is one of the agencies attached to the justice department.

The BI’s announced its readiness to handle the influx of foreign tourists following the statement issued by Presidential spokesman Harry Roque that the Philippines will reopen to international tourists in due time.

Roque said that while Metro Manila’s shift to Alert Level 2 from Alert 3 is very encouraging, the government would first have to observe the experience of other countries that have already reopened to foreign tourists.

“Should the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] and the Office of the President see that the country is ready, we will be happy to welcome again foreign tourists to our shores,” Morente said.

BI earlier reported that the number of passengers who arrived in the country during the first three quarters of the year dropped by 72 percent due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the international travel industry.

It noted that a total of 893,886 international travelers arrived during the first nine months of the year as compared to the 3.2 million recorded in 2020.

The BI chief said the agency is expecting the low turnout of arriving passengers would continue at least until the end of 2021.

Source: https://bit.ly/3D2436p