Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 30) — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said around four million passengers are expected to go in and out of the country in the fourth quarter of the year amid eased health restrictions this holiday season.
“What we are projecting is that the total number of arrivals will reach up to four million arrivals for the entire fourth quarter and the total number of departures will be around 3.8 million,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Sandoval said their projection for the last three months of 2023 is close to pre-pandemic figures as countries open their borders.
The BI official said they recently recorded almost 40,000 arrivals and departures per day as Filipinos head back to their provinces or go on vacation during this week’s Undas break.
Sandoval said almost 1,000 immigration officers were deployed nationwide, majority of whom are in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. There were also 20 to 30 officers sent to international airports as augmentation, she added.
She said immigration booths were set up in anticipation of the volume of travelers this week.
So far, the BI has not received any major concern from travelers, but Sandoval said duty supervisors are on standby in case passengers feel they are being harassed by an immigration officer. Those with concerns can also reach out to BI helpline for immediate assistance, she added.
