No Holy Week break for BI personnel

MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other ports are barred from going on leave in anticipation of a surge in travelers during the Lenten break.

In a statement yesterday, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said BI employees manning airports and seaports would not be allowed to go on leave from March 24 to May 15.

The BI expects an influx of international passengers at the NAIA, Mactan International Airport, Clark International Airport and Kalibo International Airport.

Tansingco said the ban was imposed to make sure they would have enough personnel to serve the travelers.

The Holy Week starts on April 2, Palm Sunday, and will end on April 8.

During the period, Tansingco said applications for vacation leaves and authority to travel abroad by BI employees assigned at the ports would not be approved.

“We are constrained to implement this leave ban to make sure that our service would not be interrupted or compromised during the Lenten break because of the expected surge in the number of passengers entering and exiting the country,” he said.

“We have to see to it that our immigration booths at the airports are fully manned to prevent the long queues of passengers,” he added.

Data showed that since the Philippines reopened its borders to foreign tourists in March last year, an average of 30,000 international passengers arrived daily in the country compared to only up to 9,000 in March 2021.