Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado announced that they are anticipating over 110,000 travelers during this holiday season.
Viado noted that last year, Christmas weekend arrivals averaged more than 53,000, while departures averaged 43,000.
“We expect these numbers to increase further this year, likely surpassing pre-pandemic levels,” said Viado.
Before the pandemic, the BI recorded an average of 55,000 daily arrivals in December, with departures averaging 47,000 in December 2019.
Viado assured the public that preparations are in place to ensure smooth operations during the holiday season.
As a standard practice, leave applications for frontline officers are denied during peak season to ensure full deployment capacity.
“We have enhanced our operations at major international airports, adding personnel to maintain a smooth flow of passengers,” said Viado. “Our team is closely monitoring operations,” he added.
In addition to new officers, the BI is deploying personnel from its main office to support airport operations. The BI is also activating rapid response teams and deploying mobile counters to ensure efficient processing during the peak season.
