New airport access pass limits movements of NAIA Immigration, Customs personnel
MANILA: As Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has released their 2015 Access Pass that has imposed limits on the access of Bureau of Customs and Immigration personnel’s access to only their immediate area of operations (in the so-called Red Zone), the customs personnel is not happy at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
They say this will hamper their movements in tracking down passengers and cargoes at the airport pre-departure and arrival areas.
The MIAA-issued access pass, valid from January to June 2015, is unlike those issued in the past, where they have access all the way up to the Green Zone, which is next to the boarding gates.
Immigration supervisors explained that this would restrict their movements in processing special flights/chartered flights crew and passengers, as these would now be processed only inside the terminal to conform to immigration formalities.
The Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) of the bureau at the NAIA said that they could not perform final documentation check at the boarding gates and other functions that are relevant to their operation.
They emphasize that, with the limitations, they cannot send off deportees/excluded passengers up to the boarding gates of aircraft to make sure that they are sent back to their airport point of origin.
The supervisors, including the immigration terminal heads are asking MIAA that their access be extended to the Green and Ramp zone, as provided by law stating that “immigration inspectors can go aboard and search for aliens on any vessel or other conveyance in which they believe are being brought in the Philippines.”
NAIA Immigration Airport Operations Division (AOD) head Julius Cortez officially wrote MIAA to move for a reconsideration regarding the matter.
