The employees were likewise prohibited from filing their leaves of absence during the same period, except for meritorious reasons or in cases of emergency.

At the same time, Libanan directed Ferdinand Sampol, chief of the BI-Airport Operations Division (AOD) and all immigration officers and their supervisors in the different ports to exercise extreme vigilance in monitoring all arriving and departing foreigners.

The order, according to the BI chief, aims to prevent undesirable aliens, particularly terrorists and fugitives, from taking advantage of the holiday rush to sneak into the country undetected.

“It is during these times that our immigration officers should be on the highest state of alert to ensure that our country’s security is not threatened by the entry of aliens who pose a threat to public safety,” Libanan declared.

Ther immigration officers were thus instructed to closely scrutinize the travel papers and conduct a strict profile of each and every arriving foreigner.

“Those whose names appear in our blacklist should be excluded outright and booked on the first available flight to his port of origin,” Libanan said..

He added that departing passengers should also be closely monitored to ensure that those who were issued hold departure and watchlist orders do not flee the country.

Aside from immigration officers manning the BI’s counters at the airports, special teams of immigration officers have also been deployed at the airports to double check the papers and be on the lookout for suspicious-looking alien passengers.
(BI News)