The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Monday, March 7, full force operations of all international airports after the national government lifted the travel restrictions in most parts of the country.
BI port operations chief Carlos Capulong said they have already implemented the 100 percent on-site work capacity and have resumed their pre-pandemic shifting schedule as the volume of arriving passengers increases in the next few weeks.
“From around 8,000 daily passengers on the first week of implementation of our opened borders, we are now seeing more than 9,000 daily passengers,” said Capulong.
He added they are expecting gradual hike as the travel atmosphere returns to the new normal.
Capulong said that they are projecting that the figures will increase up to 15,000 daily in the coming months.
Meanwhile, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said he has ordered border operations to prepare for the expected increase of international travelers as the summer season approaches.
"This is a step towards the much-needed recovery of the tourism industry,” he added.