The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said it would look into the complaint of the female passenger who got offloaded after she was required by a BI officer to present 10 birth certificates.
In a statement, BI said its Commissioner Norman Tansingco has ordered an investigation over the incident to ensure that Immigration officers can "communicate decisions properly to passengers."
However, the Immigration Department said initial investigation has shown that the unidentified passenger had "multiple red flags" which was why she was held at the BI counter.
According to BI, one of the "multiple red flags" is that the passenger claimed that she will travel to Taiwan to look for a possible job.
The agency noted this contrasted with her previous statement last month that she would visit distant family relatives.
"Her personal capacity to sustain herself during the 14-day trip was likewise not established. Hence Tansingco said that the traveler was reminded to secure proper working documents," the agency said.
"Tansingco also added that following the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) guidelines on departure formalities, departing passengers whose purpose, and capacity is not fully established may be sponsored by a relative within the fourth civil degree," it added.
Earlier this month, a female passenger went viral on social media platforms after she recounted that she got offloaded two times in a row.
She said the Immigration officer allegedly requested her to provide 10 birth certificates of her family members to prove that she is related to her cousin who sponsored her tickets abroad.
This is not the first time that the BI drew flak for impossible requirements.
In March, the agency apologized to the Filipina passenger who missed a flight due to the lengthy BI interview and the required school yearbook and graduation photo.
