Departure procedures for Filipinos going abroad are now being revised amid allegations that some immigration officers have abused their authority when screening travelers.
Social media has been flooded with reports of people missing their flights despite allegedly having all the necessary documentation and being questioned by the Bureau of Immigration about matters supposedly unrelated to the purpose of travel.
In a statement on Thursday, March 30, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) “acknowledges and understands the plight of Filipinos who were inconvenienced by the strict implementation of the departure formalities, especially those who were forced to miss or rebook their flights.”
“At its core, the implementation of Departure Formalities by the BI is pursuant to their legal mandate as an integral member of the IACAT. As such, their functions include administering and enforcing anti-trafficking, immigration, and related laws to better protect Filipinos from human trafficking and other dangers,” the DOJ said.
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“At present, IACAT is in the process of revising the Departure Formalities to better reflect current trends and plug the gaps that arose along the way. Moreover, we are in coordination with BI and other stakeholders to minimize the inconvenience caused by the Departure Formalities to Filipino travelers.”
Government data shows that from January to February 2023 alone, the BI deferred the departure of 6,788 out of 1,056,247 Filipinos. Fifty-seven of those whose departures were halted were referred to the IACAT as potential victims of human trafficking.
The rest were deferred for other reasons, such as incomplete, improper, and misrepresented documents.
“Many of them would have also been vulnerable to human trafficking had they been allowed to depart,” the DOJ said.
Nonetheless, the DOJ made an assurance that any “abusive behavior” by immigration officers “will not be tolerated and will be appropriately and strictly dealt with.”
