THE Bureau of Immigration has eased its rules in conducting immigration formalities for arriving foreign delegates due to the upcoming summit of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as it deployed additional 95 BI personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to support and assist in processing arriving foreign visitors.
A memorandum issued by BI Commissioner Jaime Morente prescribes the guidelines that immigration officers at the airports should follow when processing foreign delegates to the meetings which have started to occur in various places of the of the Philippines, the host and chair of this year’s Asean summit.
The Philippines is host and chair of this year’s Asean summit, to be attended by delegates from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Brunei.
BI commissioner Jaime Morente directed the conduct of “less restrictive” immigration formalities for Asean delegates and their companions, such as their spouses and dependents.
The bureau chief said it waived the imposition of the six-month rule on passport validity, which means any Asean delegate can be admitted even if the latter’s passport is valid for less than six months.
Also waived is the requirement to procure a return or outbound plane ticket, which is normally imposed on foreign tourists who come here for business or pleasure.
As regards foreign delegates who have no entry visa (for visa-required nationals) and those whose names might appear in the BI’s derogatory list, they shall not be automatically excluded or turned back to their port of origin, said Marc Red Mariñas, BI’s acting port operations chief.
Instead, Mariñas said the immigration supervisor on duty should conduct secondary inspection on the passenger and seek guidance or instruction from his superiors on what action to take.
In these instances, the passenger concerned may at the option of the BI commissioner be issued a waiver of exclusion ground, an allow entry order or an order of non-admission, he added.
Earlier, the BI mobilized nearly 100 personnel to manage and facilitate the bureau’s role in the Philippines’ hosting of the year-long Asean event.
