Senate President Chiz Escudero is serving notice to the incoming Immigration Commissioner to rush the reimbursement of the expenses incurred by thousands of passengers who missed their flights due to unnecessary delays brought about by the pre-departure procedures of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
“‘Ber’ months na, pero ni isang kusing wala pa ring nabayaran sa kahit isang paseherong naperwisyo,” Escudero said.
“Ang bilis mag-offload, ang bagal naman mag-download ng reimbursement.”
“Ang bilis mag-offload, ang bagal naman mag-download ng reimbursement,” said the veteran legislator who previously raised this issue during the hearing on the BI’s spending plan for 2024.
It was the seasoned lawmaker who introduced a special provision in the 2024 General Appropriations Act that mandated the reimbursement of passengers who were left behind by their flights after being subjected to lengthy interrogation by immigration personnel for one reason or another.
The funds will be drawn from the unutilized collections of the BI that are returned to the Bureau of Treasury.
Despite the “clear instructions” of the GAA, the Senate President said the agencies involved in its implementation are seemingly dragging their feet on this matter.
“Hanggang ngayon wala pang guidelines,” the senator said, quoting Department of Justice officials who responded to his query on the implementation of the special provision during a recent hearing on the 2025 budget plan of the agency.
He said this delay “will surely hound the BI” if non-payment remains unresolved by the time the Senate starts its plenary debates on the 2025 national budget in November.
“In the guise of fighting human trafficking, many have been unfairly and arbitrarily denied their right to travel, their fate at the hands of ‘gods’ at the airport gate,” Escudero said.
In 2022 alone, 32,404 Filipino passengers were not allowed to proceed with their flights. Out of the total, only 472 were found to be victims of human trafficking or illegal recruitment.
“The almost 32,000 offloaded passengers could fill 177 narrow-body Airbus jets.”
“The almost 32,000 offloaded passengers could fill 177 narrow-body Airbus jets. Sa dinami-dami ng pinerwisyo niyo dahil sa hinalang biktima sila ng human trafficking, kakarampot lang ang lumalabas na totoong may kaso. There’s something wrong with this picture,” he said.
Many of the passengers who were unable to board their flights ended up incurring additional expenses for rebooking their flights, hotel reservations and food.
“I have personally heard of the plight of OFWs returning to their legal jobs abroad with little money left in their pockets–with some becoming instant refugees in their own land because some of their countrymen deemed them unfit for travel,” Escudero said.
He said this kind of profiling, which requires a “job interview-kind of questioning and presentation of credentials” has no place in our immigration system.
Escudero said BI should consider the fact that travelers have already been vetted by their destination countries when they apply for visas to enter their respective jurisdictions.
“Hayaan nating ‘yung bansang kanilang pupuntahan ang tumingin at magtanong: Meron ka bang pambayad sa hotel? May insurance ka ba? Dahil bago sila inisyuhan ng visa hiningi na lahat ‘yan ng mga embassies,” he pointed out.
Escudero said the country cannot have two immigration regimes “where moneyed fugitives escaping the law are escorted to waiting private jets and yachts, while ordinary folks have to go through the wringer on the mere suspicion of being unfit for travel”.
He said the Senate remains supportive of the BI especially on how to strengthen the country’s borders and upgrade facilities that will bolster security while improving the overall traveler experience.
