BI augments personnel in three NAIA terminals

Thirty additional immigration officers have been deployed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as part of the Bureau of Immigration's anti-human trafficking drive. BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said that the additional personnel were assigned to the immigration arrival and departure counters of the three NAIA terminals, where both Filipino and foreign travelers are screened before they enter and after they exit the planes. “The campaign against human trafficking requires the fielding of more immigration officers to ensure that our ports of entry are adequately guarded," David said, adding that the volume of passengers arriving and departing from NAIA has steadily been increasing. The volume of foreign travelers is also expected to increase in the next few months, necessitating the addition of more immigration officers. The bureau’s drive, David said, aims not only to prevent the entry of unwelcome aliens but also the departure of human trafficking and illegal recruiting victims. Most of the officers assigned to NAIA are veteran immigration officers who were retrained for airport operations and procedures, David said. “Our immigration officers are the very first persons that foreigners meet when they visit our country, thus they must project a positive and professional image to reflect our vaunted trademark traits of hospitality and courtesy," BI Administrative Chief Felino Quirante Jr. said on the need to retrain personnel. — Bea Cupin/KBK, GMA News