More immigration officers to be assigned to airports

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will deploy in the coming months over 100 additional immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airports (NAIA) and other major airports in the country. 

BI chief personnel officer Grifton Medina said the 101 additional immigration officers would add to the existing 1,300 that are deployed in the various airports all over the country.

Medina reported to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente that the 101 new employees, with the item of Immigration Officer I, started their two-month training last week at the Philippine Immigration Academy in Clark, Pampanga. 

After completing their training, where they would be taught lessons on immigration laws, rules and procedures, the employees will still undergo a month-long on-the-job training at the airport and main office. 

In a statement, Morente instructed Medina to “be sure that before they are deployed to the ports they are adequately prepared and equipped with the knowledge and capability to perform their jobs as gatekeepers of the country.” 

Morente also instructed the BI Center for Training and Research led by Ronaldo Ledesma and Supervisor Thelma Guiritan to “administer written and oral tests to the trainees in order to ascertain if they are ready to become our country’s gatekeepers.”

BI port operations division chief Marc Red Mariñas said the new immigration officers come at a time when they are implementing the government’s rationalization program at the NAIA. 

The rationalization scheme involves the shutdown of international flight operations at the NAIA 2 terminal that would serve as Manila’s main domestic airport, and the operation of all international flights at the NAIA 1 and 3 terminals.

Mariñas said personnel from the BI management information systems division office would soon begin installing additional work stations at the immigration arrival and departure areas of the NAIA 3 terminal where the bulk of international flights from NAIA 1 would be relocated. 

“This project will definitely entail additional manpower in our immigration counters in light of the projected influx of more international travelers, mostly tourists, into our country this year,” he added.