Terrifying Philippine Immigration Horror Stories
Entering the Philippines can be unsettling for some travelers due to their immigration experiences. We’ll share stories of unexpected detentions and border encounters, shedding light on the less pleasant aspects of the process.
CHAM TANTERAS’ HORROR STORY
Cham Tanteras’ viral “immigration rant” detailed her December 2022 ordeal when she missed her flight to Israel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Prolonged questioning by an immigration officer, including unrelated inquiries about her parents and a search for her yearbook, led to her missing her flight and losing her PHP19,000 ticket.
To continue her journey, Cham had to buy another ticket for PHP27,000. BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval recognized the secondary inspection protocol but stressed that it should not result in flight delays. Unfortunately, the BI couldn’t refund Cham’s PHP19,000 ticket. They committed to investigating the incident and moved the involved immigration officer to a back-office role.
RIE’S HORRY STORY
Passenger Rie shared a similar troubling experience on GMA News’ 24 Oras. She was bound for Taiwan to visit friends, but her prior employment in Dubai caught the attention of an immigration officer, leading to a secondary inspection. Despite her tight schedule, Rie had to wait for over an hour and a half due to a lengthy line for secondary interviews, causing her to miss her flight. She had to purchase a new ticket to proceed to Taiwan. When attempting to complain to the BI office, Rie received no response. Consequently, she filed a complaint against the two immigration officers for grave abuse of authority with the Ombudsman.
SEAFARER’S HORROR STORY
JC Manganti faced three offloading incidents, resulting in substantial expenses on plane tickets. Initially scheduled to travel to Paris on August 7, 2022, he was offloaded despite having a valid visa and supporting documents. Even after visiting the Bureau of Immigration (BI) office, he faced offloading twice more at the airport. His total expenditure on tickets amounted to PHP200,000.
In a GMA News interview, JC revealed that he was promised a hassle-free immigration process with inside assistance and the removal of his offloading record. He also claimed that Chinese travelers were allowed to leave the country by paying around PHP200,000. JC shared screenshots of messages from immigration agents demanding PHP150,000 for escorting him to the airport’s immigration office.
Source: https://bit.ly/3Ett2Sm
