The Bureau of Immigration on Thursday ordered its personnel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other gateways to brace for the influx of passengers, mostly overseas Filipino workers and balikbayans coming home for the long holidays starting November this year.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered the bureau’s Port Operations Division to designate more personnel for the airports’ immigration arrival areas.
He also instructed the Immigration personnel to extend the utmost courtesy to the returning Filipinos and process their arrival with dispatch to avoid long queues at immigration counters.
Morente issued the appeal after receiving reports of a noticeable increase in the number of passengers entering and exiting the Naia during the past few days.
“The peak travel season has started. I am asking our immigration officers at the airport to be punctual and avoid unnecessary absences,” Morente said.
The BI chief, however, assured that there are adequate personnel manning the NAIA immigration counters to cope with the increased volume of passengers during the holidays.
Morente also instructed POD chief Marc Mariñas to report the names of immigration officers who have been habitually absent from work during the past several months.
He said notices will be issued to the errant employees directing them to explain why they should not be administratively charged for habitual absenteeism.
Under civil service rules, frequent unauthorized absences or habitual absenteeism are grave offenses punishable by suspension of six months and one day to one year for the first offense and dismissal from the service for the second offense.
For his part, Mariñas warned immigration officers at the Naia to avoid tardiness and refrain from loafing during their duty, as the offenses are also punishable with suspension or dismissal from the service.
According to Mariñas, an employee is considered a habitual absentee if he incurs unauthorized absences of more than two and a half days for at least three months in a semester or for three consecutive months in a year.
“We have also noticed that some of our personnel tend to file leaves of absence before and after their days-off and during weekends and holidays,” he said. “This practice should be stopped.”