Chiz: New BI Chief Should Expedite Reimbursements for Offloaded Travelers

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero urged the incoming Bureau of Immigration (BI) chief to prioritize the reimbursement process for passengers who missed their flights due to BI’s pre-departure procedures. The reimbursements, mandated by the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), have yet to be distributed.

Escudero criticized the delay, pointing out that no guidelines have been prepared for issuing these refunds. “It’s already the ‘Ber months, but not even one of the inconvenienced passengers has received a centavo,” he said, calling on involved agencies to take immediate action.

He also warned that the delay will be a major issue for the BI during the plenary debates on the 2025 national budget in November.

This comes after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed to relieve BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco from his post. Escudero also took aim at the BI’s immigration screening, which has caused significant inconvenience for thousands of Filipino passengers under the guise of preventing human trafficking.

In the first half of 2024, 16,617 passengers were offloaded, according to Tansingco. However, in 2022, only 472 out of over 32,000 offloaded passengers were confirmed to be victims of human trafficking or illegal recruitment.