SENATE deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday said the updated travel guidelines for departing international passengers can be used by corrupt immigration officials to exploit travelers.
Likewise, Hontiveros urged the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to heed public concerns over the implementation of the new outbound travel rules and review how this can be enforced without causing inconvenience to customers.
The new IACAT guidelines for international-bound Filipino passengers requires Filipino travelers to present various documents, including proof of financial capacity, among others, before they are cleared for travel. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to implement the revised travel guidelines on September 3.
Hontiveros said the IACAT must “take into consideration” inputs from lawmakers, legal experts, and ordinary Filipinos before the full implementation of new rules.
“We shouldn’t turn a blind eye to warnings that some of the requirements would only promote delays and are prone to exploitation by corrupt immigration officials,” she said.
She added the IACAT should study the inputs of various stakeholders on the issue of airport delays and inefficiencies before implementing the new travel guidelines.
“Insisting on dysfunctional guidelines will derail our nation’s anti-trafficking efforts. Imbes na ipagkibit-balikat, pakinggan natin ang hinaing ng ating travelers at gamitin ito para palakasin ang ating mga polisiya (Instead of turning a deaf ear, we should listen to the concerns of our travelers and use them to strengthen our policies),” she said.
The Department of Justice has said the revised international travel guidelines are not meant to hinder the right of Filipinos to travel, saying the additional documentary requirements will serve as an added security layer to curb trafficking in persons.
It said the documents would only be required if a passenger if red-flagged by immigration officers as a potential victim of human trafficking or as a perpetrator or suspect.
“As for the other documents, the only time the immigration officers will ask for them is if they see a red flag — if the response of the traveler is suspicious, if the documents are insufficient or if they detect that the document is fake,” said DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano.
Clavano said the revised travel guidelines will make traveling abroad easier for Filipinos since departure formalities have been streamlined.
But Hontiveros questioned how the presentation of additional “questionable documents” before departure can complement the Bureau of Immigration’s “45-second” processing.
“Are all first-time travelers required to ‘present proof of hotel booking’ or accommodation?
How can the requirement of ‘notarized Original Affidavit of Support and Guarantee’ for sponsored travelers be complied with without unduly burdening such persons?” she asked.
Rep. Arlene Brosas (PL, Gabriela) said travelers and overseas workers should not bear the burden of the government’s anti-human trafficking drive.
She said President Marcos Jr.’s instruction to intensify anti-human trafficking efforts “does not coincide with the reputation of the Philippines as haven for Chinese offshore gaming operators, aside from countless cases of Filipinos seeking jobs abroad but end up in trafficking networks.”
“The government can’t even go after notorious human traffickers like Quiboloy and now they want to pass the burden to overseas Filipino workers,” said Brosas, who is a member of the House Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs.
Brosas was referring to Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name founder and former spiritual adviser Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.
The lawmaker said the new travel policy will unjustly burden travelers and migrant workers while leaving out more important interventions from the picture.
“Bakit ang mga biyahero at mga kababayan nating OFWs ang papasan ng bigat at pahihirapan sa kagustuhang masawata ang human trafficking? (Why should travelers and our OWFs bear the burden cause by the anti-human trafficking drive?) We are burdening our workers with too many bureaucratic requirements when we should be looking at strategic solutions to address joblessness and poverty, notwithstanding the record of weak prosecution of traffickers in the country,” said Brosas.
Migrante International, a group of Filipino migrant workers and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a former immigration chief, earlier said the guidelines would not only inconvenience travelers but also violate a person’s constitutional right to travel and right to privacy.
Rep. Raoul Manuel (PL, Kabataan), also of the Makabayan bloc, was among those who called for IACAT to scrap these “unnecessary requirements.”
Gabriela Women’s Party said it will send a communication to IACAT to formally convey its position on the new travel guidelines.
Brosas said that “for as long as wages are criminally low and job opportunities are scarce in the country, syndicates and human traffickers will continue to prey on poor Filipinos and will tap backdoor channels to facilitate trafficking.”
“We have to address the root of human trafficking, instead of coming up with ridiculous measures that will further add insult to the suffering of our overseas Filipino workers,” she said. — With Wendell Vigilia
