IMMIGRATION Commissioner Jaime Morente yesterday said the Bureau expects the number of arriving passengers, including foreign tourists, to reach 12,000 daily or more this summer.
Morente said this is due to the loosening of travel restrictions with the continued decline in the number of COVID-19 cases and the decision of the national government to allow the entry of fully vaccinated individuals from visa-free countries.
“During the first week of the implementation of the loosened travel restrictions, we saw a rise from around 6,000 arrivals to around 8,000 arrivals per day. These figures, which are a mix of Filipinos and foreign arrivals, rose steadily through the weeks,” Morente said.
The Inter-Agency Task Force Against Emerging Infectious Diseases has deescalated the alert level in Metro Manila and other parts of the country due to the continued decline in new COVID-19 cases.
But it reminded the people to still adhere to health protocols such as the wearing of face masks and physical distancing.
Morente said that two weeks following the approval of the national government to allow the entry of fully vaccinated foreign nationals from visa-free countries, the BI saw the number of arrivals rise to more than 9,000 per day.
“Now after a month, we’re seeing more than 10,000 arrivals per day. This figure could reach 12,000 or more during the summer season when many foreign nationals flock to our tourist destinations to enjoy the tropical weather,” he added.
BI Port Operations Division Chief Carlos Capulong said they are ready to service the higher number of travelers arriving in the country this summer.
“Our men are on full force, and we have deployed 100 percent of our airport personnel to conduct document inspection for arriving passengers. The e-gates are also fully operational, which would greatly lessen the processing time,” Capulong said.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the dry or summer season in the country started March 16 with the end of the cool northeast monsoon or “amihan.”
