The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) mentioned the revised departure tips don’t intend to intrude on folks’s privateness or hinder journey.
Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano, who represented IACAT, clarified that the rules strengthen authorities measures to combat human trafficking within the nation.
“Well, this is really not a hindrance to the right to travel. Ito po ay isang polisiya ng ating gobyerno na i-eradicate or tigilan na talaga itong malawak at malalim na problema ng human trafficking,” Clavano mentioned on the Saturday news discussion board.
He requested outbound Filipino vacationers, particularly abroad Filipino employees (OFWs), to comply with the revised IACAT tips by getting ready the required paperwork earlier than continuing to immigration counters on the airports to “ensure hassle-free processing of their travel documents.”
“In fact, doon po sa ating statistics, almost 99 percent of the time ay wala naman po talagang problema. This is only for those vulnerable sectors at iyon po iyong ginawa ng 2023 guidelines – tiningnan ho natin lahat ng categories ng travelers, iyong mga na-identify ho natin na vulnerable sa human trafficking iyon po iyong medyo mas maraming additional documents kung sakaling magduda iyong Immigration officer,” he added.
Clavano famous that the revised tips are much like the 2015 coverage and that IACAT just isn’t imposing extra documentary necessities on vacationers.
“Immigration personnel are just looking for red flags or potential trafficking victims,” he mentioned.
Among the essential immigration necessities embrace a sound passport, visa, roundtrip ticket, and boarding go.
“Ang ginawa lang ho ay in-identify lang ho natin ang iba’t ibang mga categories ng mga travelers, dinagdagan po natin iyon,” Clavano defined.
He mentioned he hopes the brand new tips may function a deterrent to syndicates and fraudsters victimizing Filipinos, significantly after the US State Department gave the Philippines a Tier 1 rating within the combat in opposition to human trafficking, which implies authorities measures are efficient and dealing.
Clavano additional reported that from January 1 to May 15, 2023, there have been 39,061 referrals for secondary inspection, and 25,297 of them had been allowed for departure whereas 13,764 had been deferred.
On August 22, IACAT 2023 Revised IACAT Guidelines on Departure Formalities for Internationally-Bound Filipino Passengers was permitted. —VAL, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
