The Bureau of Immigration (BI) Spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that lines at the immigration area remain manageable, despite the expected surge of travelers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 this Holy Week.
In an exclusive interview for DZRH’s The Situation Report on Wednesday, April 16, Sandoval mentioned that there are an estimated of around 50,000 passengers arriving and leaving the country per day. However, lines at the immigration area remain manageable.
“Yung hourly monitoring natin nakikita natin, [na] madalas light po. Although may time po na may bahagyang pila, which is expected dahil peak season ngayon, pero lahat po nakikita natin [na] mukhang manageable naman po,” she said.
Moreover, travelers do not have to wait long for the intervals between counters, as the airport has allotted an exclusive wing for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
“Nagkaroon po ng exclusive wing ang OFWs, so additional 12 work stations ito na nagpoprocess ng mahigit 3,000 kada araw. Napakalaking tulong po niyan para maibsan yung pila doon sa regular line,” Sandoval highlighted.
According to the spokesperson, this became very convenient for OFWs, as they are also provided with a lounge where they can pass the time and rest. It is also located near the immigration area.
Meanwhile, Sandoval assured non-OFWs that the regular counters at the NAIA Terminal 3 remain the same, and have sped up processing.
“Doon po sa regular counter, it remains the same, pero naalis po doon yung mga OFW. malaki pong bagay ‘yon sa pila natin. Mas mabilis po ngayon yung processing natin, tsaka maluwag na po ngayon yung immigration area,” she said.
Tips for Travelers this Holy Week
For first-time travelers, Sandoval reminds passengers to not forget to fill up their e-travel, at least 72 hours before their departure or arrival. She mentioned that travelers may fill it out from the comfort of their own homes, citing that all the required documents are consolidated in one application.
She also recommended that passengers arrive three hours before their flight, so that they have time for the check-in process, immigration, and the final security check before boarding the gate.
However, if individuals prefer to shop, eat at restaurants located inside the airport, she suggests allotting more than three hours.
Although technical glitches are sometimes inevitable, Sandoval assured that they are procuring new electronic gates for all terminals.
“Pero ngayon po, ang good thing is we are procuring new electronic gates para sa distribution po sa lahat ng terminals. Naglagay din po tayo ng tao na mag-aassist kung magkaroon po ganyang technical glitch sa ating mga electronic gate para tumulong po para maibsan po yung pila,” she said.
For further assistance, Sandoval suggested that the public contact them through the agency’s Facebook Messenger, as personnel would be monitoring it at all times.
