The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has extended its apologies to the Filipina passenger who went viral on Tiktok after she recounted how she missed a flight and had to rebook due to the lengthy interview with a BI personnel in December last year.
In the viral video, Cham Tanteras shared how an immigration officer asked her numerous questions which she deemed as "irrelevant" like did she graduated or not and if her parents separated or not.
Tanteras also recalled that the BI officer even asked her to present a school yearbook and graduation photo.
"We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused the Filipina passenger and other Filipino passengers," BI said in a statement on Thursday.
It said that the management has initiated a probe and requested the BI officer involved to submit a full report on the incident.
BI said that human trafficking and illegal recruitment abroad happen every day, and they are among the government agencies tasked to combat this.
It cited that many young professionals with good travel records, employed, and graduates from good schools have fallen into a cryptocurrency scam and been transported into Myanmar and other Asian countries.
"The BI seeks considerations and understanding as the agency is constrained to implement strict measures to assess departing passengers," BI said.
The agency likewise asked its personnel to be professional and efficient in inspecting passengers to prevent similar incidents to occur.
