THE Bureau of Immigration yesterday assured Filipino Muslims planning to make the Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia next month that they will be provided hassle-free immigration processing.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said he had issued an operation circular streamlining the BI’s procedures in processing the departing Haj pilgrims.
Tansingco said more than 7,000 Filipino Muslims are expected to join this year’s Haj pilgrimage.
“This is our way of extending support and courtesy to our Muslim brothers who are embarking on this pilgrimage, which is considered one of Islam’s most sacred and important religious events,” Tansingco added.
The BI circular directs the bureau’s airport terminal heads to designate focal persons who will coordinate with officials of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) in obtaining an advance list of passengers who will be traveling to Mecca.
The bureau will subject passengers on the list to advance checking to verify if any one of them is the subject of hold departure orders or watchlist orders.
The BI chief said a special lane for the Haj pilgrims will also be designated by the BI in different airports to ensure they are quickly processed by immigration officers before their departure.
“The BI focal persons were also instructed to establish lines of communication with their counterparts from the NCMF so they can jointly address whatever problems may arise or may be encountered by the pilgrims regarding their travel,” Tangsingco said.
Members of the BI’s border and control and intelligence unit were also ordered to assist the pilgrims at the airport’s immigration departure counter prior to their flights.
