Libanan: Yes to smiles, no to holiday greetings

Yes to smiles, no to holiday greetings.

This was the directive Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan recently issued to all personnel assigned at the air and sea ports. This is to prevent speculations that the BI employees are soliciting tokens from arriving and departing passengers this Christmas season.

Libanan said that the Immigration officers, particularly those assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), should wear smiles on their faces. But, he added, they are forbidden from greeting the arriving and departing passengers, comprising mostly the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), foreigners and other passengers, with “Merry Christmas.”

The ban on the holiday greetings took effect Dec. 1 and would only be lifted on Feb. 1.

Libanan said the order aims “to avoid any false impression or misinterpretation of simple good wishes” that may arise over such a holiday greeting.

“The gesture, even if it is sincere, might be misinterpreted as asking for a tip so it’s better that they refrain from such a greeting,” Libanan said. Many OFWs are expected to return in the coming days to spend the holidays with their families in the country.

The BI has been issuing a similar order to its employees since the time of Commissioner Rufus Rodiguez in 1998. – Evelyn Macairan, Rudy Santos