Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 6) — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday addressed viral complaints on social media, including the reported offloading of a Filipina because of her active work permit abroad and the alleged extortion attempt by one of its employees.
In a recent social media post, a Filipina said an immigration officer barred her and her partner from leaving the Philippines for Hong Kong two weeks ago as she is still currently employed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Filipina explained that she would still return to the UAE — where she said she has a valid work contract — and that they will just travel to Hong Kong for a vacation.
Based on her narration, the officer told her she should cancel her working visa first to be able to visit other countries.
In response to the viral post, the BI said its decision to offload the Filipina was due to her previous travel history.
“Upon verification of her travel records, it was found out that she previously left as a tourist but ended up working in the Arab region without the required documentation,” the statement read, “and her current trip presented a similar travel pattern, together with another person.”
The bureau added it has “reason to suspect” that she might be recruiting Filipinos to work in Abu Dhabi.
“This is an investigation we will be pursuing, having found posts of her recruiting for work abroad,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said. “We are looking into referring the matter to other government agencies that might look into the alleged recruitment scheme.”
Meanwhile, the agency assured it is already investigating its employee who was accused of trying to extort ₱150,000 from a seafarer who wanted to travel to Paris.
The BI said it is awaiting a formal complaint from the victim.
It also mentioned in its statement the case of an unnamed female passenger who reportedly submitted a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman against a male immigration officer for conducting lengthy interviews, causing her to miss her flight.
“Upon verification with the BI’s system, it was confirmed that she presented herself for primary inspection only 23 minutes before the closing of the boarding gate, and was expeditiously processed by the immigration officer before being allowed to depart,” the bureau said.
Last month, a clip of a Filipina sharing a similar experience went viral on social media.
The traveler recounted on TikTok that she missed her flight to Israel last December after being asked several “irrelevant” questions by an immigration officer, adding she was even told to present her yearbook to prove that she was a graduate.
The Filipina shared that her flight was at around 11 a.m. but that she was already at the airport at around 3 a.m. She said that she queued at the immigration counter before 8 a.m. where she noted long lines.
READ: BI apologizes after traveler missed flight due to lengthy immigration interview
READ: BI officer in viral TikTok video relieved, denies requesting for yearbook, agency says
