The Bureau of Immigration has placed its personnel on heightened alert in preparation for the influx of people arriving for the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) as well as those for the holidays.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente issued a directive as the BI expects surge of travellers in the coming weeks.
“We are expecting up to 3% increase in arrivals and departures this holiday season. We are certain that there will be more tourists and balikbayans who will be flying in this Christmas,” Morente said.
“Even more now that the SEA Games will be held in the country, we are projecting an added 8,000 delegates including athletes, media, technical officials, volunteers, fans, and audiences,” the BI chief added.
In December 2018 alone, more than 1.5M passengers arrived in the country, while more than 1.2M left according to the immigration bureau.
Morente shared that many of these were Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Filipinos living abroad, who come home to celebrate the Christmas season.
“Christmas is probably the biggest and most anticipated holiday for our kababayan, hence it’s really part of the Filipino culture to want to be home for the holidays,” he commented.
