Senator Bong Go (Senate PRIB)

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday, April 15, renewed his appeal for the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and other concerned agencies to prioritize the welfare of Filipinos, which includes the protection of their rights as passengers. Citing numerous incidents wherein thousands of migrant workers and tourists were affected, Go strongly suggested that the government assist and guide travelers properly and not add to their burden. Based on reports, more than 6,000 passengers have been offloaded so far, he said. ‘’Pupunta po ‘yan ng airport, kulang ang mga papeles at ang nakakalungkot dito, kung kulang turuan, i-guide, alalayan natin (If they lack documents when they go to airports, passengers should be assisted and guided),” Go added. ‘’Nakapag-book na ito ng ticket, gumastos na po ito, pinagpawisan po ang perang ginastos nila para lang po makabili ng ticket (They have booked, spent for their tickets). Sa mga OFWs, may penalty na naman sila, umpisa na naman sa zero (To overseas Filipino workers, they are penalized). Dapat po ang checklist kumpleto, i-guide natin sila nang mabuti. Kung kulang, turuan para maiwasan po itong pag-offload (They should be guided and taught to avoid their being offloaded),” he stressed. Furthermore, Go asked authorities not to take advantage of their fellow Filipinos, and likewise stressed that they should perform their mandated duties of protecting the rights and interests of passengers and ensuring their welfare and safety during air travel. He cited the ‘’laglag bala’’ scheme (passengers framed for possession of a bullet) that cropped up during the past Duterte administration. ‘’Huwag naman po itong mga panibagong naiulat na pangingikil (Please stop this new modus of extortion),’’ he said, adding that he would join any Senate probe on this. He thus has once again called for support for his filed Senate Bill (SB) No.1185, or the proposed "Bureau of Immigration Modernization Act”, which aims to improve the country’s immigration system. If passed into law, the bill will also authorize the BI Board of Commissioners to retain and use every year 30 percent of its collections from immigration fees, fines and penalties, and other income that may be collected by the bureau to implement the measure and support its modernization efforts. An Immigration Trust Fund may also be created and sourced from the collections.