Suddenly, Filipinos have developed a new “fear” of travel – not because of the traffic leading to the airports, the turbulence on the air, or the expensive cost of vacations, but there is a possibility of missing a flight due to the long lines at the immigration counters or the risk of being offloaded.  Once you miss your flight because of these circumstances, say goodbye to your dream vacation and the hard-earned money you used to purchase the airline ticket. This “fear” has engulfed Filipino travelers after a viral video showed a young lady recalling how she missed her flight after an arduous second interview she had with an immigration officer. The said immigration officer allegedly asked irrelevant questions and demanded to see the passenger’s yearbook, graduation photos, emails, and private messages.

After that video circulated and caught the media’s attention, social media platforms were inundated with horror stories with immigration officers. There were experiences on the rudeness of officers, how travelers were discriminated because of their appearance, how decisions were made because of someone’s education attainment, etc. Amid all these, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is confident that it is just doing its mandated duties and responsibilities. In fact, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval has been all over the media cycle explaining that all these “SOPs” are meant to combat human smuggling and illegal recruitment. She has repeatedly said that professionals, even from top schools or those who are frequent fliers, are victimized. It is, therefore, the task of the BI to ensure that Filipinos are safe from criminal syndicates. But where do we draw the line? Where does the “protection of Filipinos” end and “violation of the right to travel” start? At a recent Senate hearing involving the BI, senators have agreed that the line has been crossed. Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. said that the BI’s offloading policy is a “brazen disregard of the constitutionally guaranteed right to travel” and is “even be an outright transgression of the power of the Courts to issue hold departure orders upon cause.” Senator Raffy Tulfo also questioned BI’s offloading authority, saying that he is not against the drive to combat human smuggling, but it “should not trample on the rights of Filipinos — the taxpayers who pay for the salaries of these immigration personnel.” Based on BI’s reports, there are numerous cases of their officers being able to prevent would-be victims from flying abroad. On the report, however, are also questionable numbers. In 2022, “more than 32,000 Filipinos were deferred departure, with only 472 found to be victims of human trafficking or illegal recruitment.” What happened to the other 30,000-plus offloaded passengers who have legitimate documents and are just hoping to travel? Were they reimbursed for their plane tickets; was there an apology for the anguish and inconvenience inflicted on an innocent Filipino? The Lenten week will roll in and passenger departures will be at an all-time high. The BI has revealed some “developments” as there will be retraining of officers, more personnel to serve the counters, and measures to cut the long lines. Sandoval has also advised passengers not to bring their yearbooks and to be at the airport three hours before departure time. We thank the BI for these reminders. Sad to say, however, that it would take time — and genuine improvements at the immigration counters — to earn back the trust of Filipinos. Until then, diplomas, thesis reports, and yearbooks will be brought at the airports.