Senator Chiz Escudero has called for the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to cover the travel expenses of passengers who missed their flights due to prolonged questioning by immigration officers.
Escudero’s remarks support Senate President Migz Zubiri’s critique of new departure regulations by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.
Escudero highlighted that over 32,000 passengers missed their international flights after enduring lengthy interrogations under the pretext of combating human trafficking. He emphasized that immigration officers should be held accountable for the hardships these travelers faced.
“Hinahayaan dapat silang magbiyahe at hayaan nating ‘yung bansang kanilang pupuntahan ang tumingin at magtanong: meron ka bang pambayad sa hotel? May insurance ka ba?” Escudero said.
“Dahil bago sila inisyuhan ng visa, Mr. President, tiningnan at hiningi na lahat ‘yan ng mga embassies. Bakit kailangan pa ipresenta muli sa ating mga immigration officers sa airports?” he added.
Escudero proposed that a provision be included in the 2024 national budget to reimburse these affected passengers using funds collected from immigration fees.
“This will be chargeable against the immigration fees being collected by the BI since a percentage of this goes to them anyway. Let it hurt them, Mr. President, so that they learn their lessons and they exercise the power given to them not arbitrarily but with due diligence and care,” he stated.
Moreover, Escudero noted that while some passengers were identified as victims of trafficking or illegal recruitment, there’s no conclusive evidence to justify the interrogation of all offloaded travelers.
He also called for retroactive reimbursement and urged the Senate to insert a special budget provision for this purpose.
Zubiri expressed gratitude for Escudero’s proposal, assuring him that during the budget deliberations for the upcoming year, a special provision regarding this matter would be considered.
