THE Bureau of Immigration yesterday said it recorded over 371,000 arrivals and more than 430,000 departures during the Holy Week break.
Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said there were 371,092 arrivals and 432,763 departures throughout the Lenten break in the country’s international airports.
“At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport alone, daily arrivals peaked at 51,000 while daily departures reached up to 61,000,” Viado said.
He added that no major disruption or incident was recorded during the entire week despite the high passenger volume.
“The smooth flow of passengers was made possible by the deployment of more than 40 additional immigration officers at the NAIA, ensuring that all counters remained fully manned throughout the holiday period,” the BI chief added.
The 40 immigration officers augmented the regular deployment of 526 officers in NAIA.
Viado also said the newly operational OFW wing at NAIA Terminal 3 also played a part in decongesting immigration queues and processing for overseas Filipino workers and their families during the Lenten break.
Viado also said that immigration operations at major international airports remained efficient despite the surge in travelers during the Holy Week.
“The Bureau of Immigration (BI) remains committed to providing swift, safe, and seamless service to the traveling public,” said Viado.
“In line with our Bagong Immigration vision, we continue to modernize our systems, enhance our manpower capacity, and improve frontline service delivery,” he said. “These improvements are part of our ongoing efforts to contribute to the President’s vision of a Bagong Pilipinas.”
Viado added that the smooth operations during the Semana Santa peak season prove that significant changes have been implemented in the BI, resulting in the delivery of better immigration services. – With Osias Osorio
