Immigration officers can now say holiday greetings, but ban on receiving gifts stays
In recognition of the festive Filipino Christmas spirit, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has decided to lift its ban on personnel greeting passengers at airports.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval clarified that BI personnel are still prohibited from asking for or receiving gifts while performing their functions at immigration counters.
“It’s a different thing for this Christmas season because [BI personnel] may now greet, as we have seen that it’s really part of Philippine tradition… our culture to be warm and welcoming during Christmastime,” she said in an interview with “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” government TV program.
In the past years, airport personnel, including immigration officers, were prohibited from conveying Christmas greetings to passengers. The ban was implemented because reports indicated that some unscrupulous workers used it implicitly to mulct travelers, especially “balikbayan” (returning) Filipinos, for Christmas presents or “pasalubong.”
Back on track
Sandoval expressed optimism that the BI has recorded a continuous increase in international travel during the holiday season, which is said to be comparable to levels before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“After the pandemic, we have seen how our international travelers have rebounded…and it looks like we are back on track, we are back at that pre-pandemic level,” she said.
But Sandoval also reminded BI personnel that when conveying greetings to passengers, they must be inclusive and greet members of the non-Christian faith with appropriate felicitations.
“This is why we want our countrymen and our visitors (to know) that the Philippines is a warm and welcoming country. We have to show our kind of hospitality, but we cannot accept gifts—just greetings,” Sandoval added.
CCTV monitoring
She said the BI has installed high-resolution closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, allowing officers to monitor their agents’ activities at immigration counters.
“We were watching the CCTV monitors and we can clearly see even whether our immigration officers cut their fingernails—that is how clear the cameras are. So we can check for any kind of doubtful activity,” she said.
BI personnel would also appreciate receiving kind greetings from travelers, Sandoval said.
“But instead of gifts, instead of tokens, what we politely request from our traveling public are the sweet greetings of ‘hello,’ of ‘Merry Christmas’ this holiday season because our frontliners are sacrificing until midnight, Christmas Day, New Year. They are serving the traveling public instead of being with their families,” she said.
