A total of 50 new immigration officers have been assigned for the holiday season to enhance border control operations, Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Tuesday evening, October 31.
According to BI, the deployed officers were recently trained and completed a condensed three-week Border Control Officers' module.
The officers are stationed at key locations, including Cebu, Bohol, Caticlan, and Clark International airports.
Meanwhile, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco stressed the need for a bolstered workforce during the holiday season, citing the projected 4,000,000 arrivals and 3,800,000 departures in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The BI additionally mobilized augmentation and rapid response teams, as well as mobile counters to deal with high travel periods, in an effort to expedite the immigration procedure.
While some waiting is expected at peak times, the BI Chief advises tourists that it recommends arriving early for faster processing.
“We are fully prepared for the peak season and are maximizing our manpower to better service the traveling public,” said Tansingco.
Around 32,000 average arrivals and 36,000 average departures were recorded in the past few days, according to BI.
