Philippine Immigration

BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan led the Bureau of Immigration last Wednesday in launching the Mobile Immigration Counters at the Ninoy International Airport (NAIA).

The mobile counters, which are equipped with laptops connected through WiFi, were established by Libanan to process the immigration papers of senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and travelers carrying infants.
“The immigration areas are usually packed with travelers during busy hours, making it burdensome for senior citizens, PWDs, and travelers carrying infants to wait on long queues,” Libanan said. “We set up these mobile counters specifically for them to make traveling more convenient, and at the same time decongest traffic in the Immigration areas.”

Libanan, together with NAIA BI chief of airport operations Ferdie Sampol and BI NAIA Terminal 1 supervisor Teody Pascual, unveiled the mobile counters, which are located at strategic areas and manned by immigration personnel.

“We had our pilot run [on Tuesday], and we already received positive feedbacks from the elderly and the disabled,” said Libanan. “Progressive countries like Japan and the US already have this kind of system, and this will definitely make our immigration processing at par with them.”

Also launched during the event was the BI-NAIA Public Assistance Center (BINPAC), which is aimed to make the clearing process even easier for arriving travelers.

“The BINPAC is in charge of assisting passengers who are in need of special accommodation,” said Sampol. “Aside from senior citizens and PWDs, this service will also be catering to those with immediate domestic connections, VIPs, and dignitaries.”

Sampol added that this will complement the Mobile Immigration Counters to finally resolve the congestion at the Immigration area during peak hours. (BI News)