Actor John Manalo expressed frustration after being offloaded from his flight to Thailand due to a minor tear on his Philippine passport.
He shared his experience on Facebook, highlighting the inconvenience and impact of the incident.
“I was offloaded earlier on my way to Thailand because of a minor tear on my passport. Everything else is completely intact,” Manalo wrote.
He noted that he had previously flown to countries including Japan, Canada, Mexico, the USA, and Vietnam with the same passport even with the tear without any issues.
“Pero kanina na offload. Dahil napansin nung taga CEBPAC,” he added.
While acknowledging the airline’s right to enforce its rules, Manalo pointed out that similar passport tears have affected other passengers as well.
“I chose not to argue earlier, but it’s honestly heartbreaking… we’re issued passports that are so easily torn, and in the end, it’s Filipinos who suffer the consequences,” he lamented, contrasting the Philippine passport’s durability with those of other countries.
He also described the additional burdens caused by the incident, including canceling bookings and dealing with uncertain timelines for securing a new passport.
The former Goin’ Bulilit actor concluded, “Nakakaawa tayong mga Pilipino no? Ang hina na nga ng passport, ang hina pa ng kalidad.”
He added that he will secure a new passport to avoid similar problems in the future and urged the government to use more durable materials for Philippine passports.
