The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that it is on standby for the eventual reopening of Philippine borders to foreign tourists.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that while no definite date has been decided on when the Philippines will reopen to alien visitors, he is confident that this will be very soon.
“While we are awaiting the official announcement from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, we have already put in place the needed manpower and facilities in preparation for this,” he said.
The BI announced earlier that frontline personnel have been banned from filing vacation leaves during the holiday season to handle the influx of travellers. It also stated that 99 new immigration officers have been recently hired for deployment in the BI’s ports nationwide.
“We have also resumed the use of our e-gates for arriving Filipinos as it would greatly lessen the processing time for our kababayan who will be returning here for Christmas,” said Morente.
Morente stated that the status quo on the country’s travel restrictions remains as they wait for the IATF to make the formal announcement.