The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has promised uninterrupted services to the traveling public despite the implementation of the two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila.
“We will continue to operate at full capacity at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to ensure that adequate manpower is available to serve arriving and departing passengers at our premiere port,” said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.
He stressed that being frontliners, BI port personnel are mandated to ensure that border control functions are properly performed.
The BI chief said airport personnel are not covered by the recent Malacañang directive instructing government offices in Metro Manila to reduce the number of employees in their offices to only 30 to 50 percent of their normal operational capacity.
BI port operations chief Carlos Capulong said that BI personnel assigned to the NAIA will continue to observe the same work scheme and schedule that was followed prior to the implementation of the ECQ.
He assured that their officers at the airport would always be on heightened alert in seeing to it that existing restrictions are observed and only those who are eligible to travel to the Philippines would be allowed entry.
Currently, the BI implements a strict travel ban on passengers from 10 countries, namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Passengers who have been to these countries, or have a travel history there within the last 14 days prior to arrival will not be allowed entry to the Philippines.