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MIAA sees over 1 million arrivals this Holy Week
The Manila International Airport Authority is expecting an influx of over one million passengers this coming Holy Week......»»
Cebu Pacific promises friendlier skies
Inside a war room of sorts within Cebu Pacific’s sprawling Airline Operations Center in Pasay near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, agents, perhaps with bated breath, are glued to giant monitors that show the airline’s social media accounts......»»
‘Fake wife’ intercepted by BI officers
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned on Friday the traveling public not to fall prey to recruiters providing fake documents. The warning was issued by BI in response to the case of a female traveler who was stopped from departing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on 19 October after a BI officer discovered that her departure had earlier been postponed after she was discovered using fraudulent travel credentials. The passenger stated she was traveling to Oman to visit her husband but the marriage certificate she produced was forged. She eventually admitted that every document she had submitted was a fabrication, including the purported affidavit of support from her partner. The passenger intended to depart for Malaysia in September of last year, but immigration agents stopped her because she was carrying the wrong paperwork, according to a later review of her travel history. According to the BI's immigration protection and border enforcement unit (I-PROBES), the victim even supplied an altered wedding photo to officials to mislead them. The victim also admitted that she paid more than P30,000 for the fake documents, which authorities believe were used to illegally work abroad. Her case was immediately forwarded to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to file cases against her recruiter. The post ‘Fake wife’ intercepted by BI officers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BI reminds departing aliens to settle fees; arrests high-profile Korean fugitive
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday advised all foreign travelers who are leaving the country during the upcoming Undas holiday break to comply with their immigration departure requirements early to avoid unnecessary queuing at the airport on the date of their departure. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco reminded registered foreigners who are studying, working, or living permanently in the Philippines that they can obtain their special return certificate (SRC) or re-entry permit (RP) prior to departure at any of the various BI's district, field, satellite, or extension offices nationwide. While foreign tourists who have stayed in the country for more than six months may also secure their emigration clearance certificates (ECC) before departure, Tansingco said securing the required permits early will decrease queueing time by half, as they will not have to line up at the BI’s airport cashiers anymore. The BI chief added that with the complete elimination of all COVID-related travel restrictions, the bureau is anticipating a spike in passengers at all international airports in the country, especially at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), this upcoming December, and this time they are also experiencing a big increase in the volume of New Year's Day travelers. During this peak season, the bureau reminded all travelers that other immigration services are also available online via the BI’s e-services portal at e-services.immigration.gov.ph. Tansingco shared that the bureau also has a one-stop shop (OSS) facility located at NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City, where departing aliens may also secure the said documents. He also reiterated previous reminders for passengers to arrive at least three hours prior to their flight and go straight to immigration after check-in. The BI is confident that its operations will be smoother this holiday season as it has deployed additional immigration officers and assigned a rapid response team as well as mobile counters for immediate deployment as necessary. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 24 October, BI agents detained a South Korean wanted person who was allegedly part of a major narcotics ring that smuggled contraband into Korea from the Philippines. Commissioner Tansingco identified the suspect as Choi Sun Hyeok, a 56-year-old male who was arrested at his residence in Bgy. Lahug, Cebu City by the BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) operatives. The BI-FSU operatives were armed with a warrant of deportation, which Tansingco issued pursuant to a summary deportation order that the BI Board of Commissioners issued against Choi in 2017. Tansingco said that Choi would be immediately deported to Seoul, South Korea after the bureau had secured the necessary clearances for his departure. According to the South Korean government, Choi was tagged as a high-profile fugitive, as he is believed to be a member of the so-called MS Alliance syndicate that facilitates the illicit transport of narcotics to Korea. A red notice for his capture was also issued by Interpol this year after an investigation confirmed that he was in the country. According to Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila, Choi is the subject of a warrant of arrest issued by the Changwon District Court in Korea, where he is charged with violating his country’s narcotics control act. Investigators have also established that this year alone, Choi’s accomplices in the syndicate managed to smuggle into Korea more than 265 grams of methamphetamine by concealing the drug in their underwear. It was gathered that the passport of Choi, who will be committed to the BI detention facility in Taguig City, was already revoked by the Korean government, thus making him an undocumented alien. Choi's name was also placed on the BI blacklist to prevent him from re-entering the Philippines. The post BI reminds departing aliens to settle fees; arrests high-profile Korean fugitive appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
SEC okays P100-B SMC, Vista Land public offerings
The Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC has approved a total of P100 billion worth of public offerings proposed by Ramon S. Ang’s San Miguel Corp. and Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. of the Villar Family. Following its 17 October meeting, the Commission En Banc greenlighted the registration statement of SMC covering close to 867 million Series 2 preferred shares. It also approved Vista Land’s registration statement covering fixed-rate bonds to be offered in tranches within three years. The SEC, however, noted that the offerings are still subject to the companies’ compliance with certain remaining requirements. San Miguel and Vista Land completed their registration processes within 33 and 32 days, respectively. Tranches set For the initial tranche, San Miguel will offer 400 million preferred shares at P75 apiece for a total of P30 billion — with an oversubscription option comprising up to 266.6 million preferred shares worth more than P20 billion. San Miguel expects to net as much as P49.62 billion from the initial tranche. The company said it will use the additional funding to repay Philippine peso-dominated short-term loan facilities and previously issued bonds. Likewise, it will help bankroll airport and airport-related projects. Vista Land, on the other hand, said it will initially offer P6 billion worth of fixed-rate bonds — with an oversubscription of up to P4 billion, consisting of Series F bonds due 2026 and Series G bonds due 2028. The offering forms part of the company’s shelf registration of a debt securities program worth P35 billion. The company estimated the expected net proceeds of more than P9.83 billion will be used to refinance maturing obligations and for general corporate purposes. The post SEC okays P100-B SMC, Vista Land public offerings appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CAAP intensifies airport security amid bomb threats
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on Thursday said that it has heightened the security of all its 42 commercial airports after the Air Traffic Service received a warning via email that planes leaving Manila for Puerto Princesa, Mactan-Cebu, Bicol, and Davao International Airports are about to be detonated by a bomb. Following the information, all airports were immediately ordered to intensify security measures while verification process is under way. CAAP Security and Intelligence Service assistant director general II retired MGen. Ricardo Banayat and all CAAP airports and area centers should augment appropriate security personnel to meet the anticipated high volume of passenger and vehicle traffic. Stringent access control procedures for both personnel and vehicles will be implemented, accompanied by thorough inspections of passengers and cargo. CAAP-CSIS personnel are also collaborating closely with the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group and military authorities, intensifying intelligence and monitoring operations with other security units. Continuous foot and mobile patrols are also being conducted within both the airside and landside areas of the airport complex. Meantime, Airport Security Coordination meetings will also be convened with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the strict implementation of security measures aimed at preventing any unlawful interference with civil aviation. In order to avoid any difficulty, they also advise international travelers to get to the airport at least three hours prior to their departure as CAAP also urged the general public to comply fully with security agents and to exercise caution when visiting the airport. “Our primary priority continues to be safety and security, and these steps are being taken to protect everyone who uses our airports,” CAAP said. Meantime, the Manila International Airport Authority assured the traveling public that it had instituted measures to ensure the safety of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport passengers, flights and facilities. Foot and mobile patrols are in place, and K9 units are doing the rounds of the terminals as added measures to their already established day-to-day protocols. The MIAA is also in close coordination with the PNP-AVSEU and pertinent government law enforcement units tasked with validating any threat to national security. The post CAAP intensifies airport security amid bomb threats appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Head hunting
Unusual contraband seized by French authorities last year exposed the illegal trade in endangered wildlife between Africa and the United States. Customs agents at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris found 392 monkey skulls and 326 skulls of other animals in the luggage of smugglers during a seven-month period in 2022, Sputnik News reported. Authorities believe American collectors and hunting clubs bought the contraband. According to SN, the skulls ended up in the Natural History Museum in Aix-en-Provence in southern France for scientific evaluation. In Utah, USA, the Transportation Security Administration said that vigilant security officers at the Salt Lake City International Airport also found a skull in one bag while an X-ray machine was scanning it on 18 September. The human skull raised an alarm that forced the TSA to halt baggage screening for two hours so the item could be safely inspected and removed if necessary. Unidentifiable components resembling an improvised explosive device were inside the skull and regarded as a potential security threat. A police bomb squad with a bomb-sniffing dog was brought in, and the passenger who owned the baggage was called. The passenger said it was a plastic skull with a built-in battery and sensor. Neurosurgeons use the medical training device to teach how to conduct a brain operation called a lobotomy. Fox News reported that the passenger was bringing the skull to a trade show in Cancun, Mexico, but TSA said it was not allowed to be transported on a commercial aircraft. According to Fox News, TSA officials confiscated the device and told the traveler to pick it up when he returned to Utah. The post Head hunting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 Singaporeans yield P76 million cocaine
Anti-narcotics agents confiscated yesterday several kilos of cocaine valued at P76.1 million from two Singaporean women during an interdiction operation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay......»»
P45.9 million smuggled shabu seized
Anti-narcotics agents intercepted at least 6.7 kilos of shabu valued at P45.9 million at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday......»»
Senate tackles airlines’ booking glitches, offloading mess
Growing complaints from various passengers against budget carrier, Cebu Pacific’s overbooking, offloading, and booking glitches have reached the Senate inquiry on Wednesday. This came after Senate committee chairperson, Senator Nancy Binay, filed Senate Resolution No. 575 pushing for an investigation on the customers’ complaints against Cebu Pacific due to recent flight cancellations. During the hearing, Binay said her office was able to compile at least 3,000 complaints from the passengers, which have been aired through social media platforms. “We have since seen it fit to invite our other airlines to this hearing because these problems, it seemed, have only grown in number. Our passengers face inconveniences on multiple fronts on account of flight delays, cancelations, offloading, and overbooking,” Binay stressed. Overseas worker, James Bartolome, said he has yet to receive his refund from Cebu Pacific after his flight going to Qatar was canceled. After knowing that his original flight was canceled, Bartolome opted to book another airline as the budget carrier won’t be able to give him an earlier flight. Senator JV Ejercito said the airport and airline operations will provide the “first and last impressions” to the tourists and potential investors entering the country. “We need to systematize this for our tourism and business climate,” he said, sharing that he was not even spared from experiencing flight delays. Binay emphasized the need to identify problems and immediately craft strategies to prevent similar complaints in the future. Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said that Cebu Pacific and other similar airline companies should acknowledge the impacts of flight cancellations and other airline mess. “Incidents like these could discourage tourists so this hearing should serve as a platform to air the grievances of the frustrated and helpless passengers,” Go said, citing that these may affect the country’s tourism industry and the economy. “Remember that we are still reviving from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added. Go said the airlines must immediately act and rectify these issues by imposing proper mechanisms for compensating affected passengers—which includes food provisions during flight cancellation and alternative flight schedules. During the hearing, several Cebu Pacific passengers also complained about apparent website errors that resulted in them being charged multiple times for transactions yet it appeared to be unsuccessful. Cebu Pacific chief marketing and customer experience officer, Candice Iyog, explained that there is a part of the flow where if a passenger clicks proceed, it commits the changes even before the passenger pays. “We recognize that and we are taking that feedback as well,” Iyog said. The Cebu Pacific, she added, is already working on “a fix or an enhancement” to the interface of the website, which will likely be ready at the end of this month. “Depending on when it's ready, we're looking at possibly, end of July that we will be able to implement this change in the user experience,” she said. Senator Risa Hontiveros lamented that in several instances when passengers’ original flights were canceled, Cebu Pacific offered flight rebooking and passengers were immediately made to pay before they could confirm their purchase of travel tickets. Citing a passenger’s experience, the airline’s website technical issue made them pay a bill of P16,000-worth of add-ons after availing of Cebu Pacific’s free rebooking option, following the cancellation of flights. Iyog said they recently reminded their customer service agents to allow passengers to get back to their original flight or to remove add-ons that were “accidentally added.” “We don’t want to cancel flights for our passengers. It’s bad business and we don’t want to disrupt our passengers—that’s why we give options,” Iyog noted. Tougher passengers’ rights Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe slammed the budget carrier for lacking customer service agents directly responding to these complaints. Poe called on for a tougher policy on air passengers' rights to address the cancellations and delays in flights by local airlines besetting travelers. "This pressing public service issue calls for urgent effective solutions as it involves not only the air passengers' rights but also the overall impact on the country's tourism and economy,” she added. While overbooking is a globally accepted practice, Poe said "systematic delays and cancellations are not." Also, Hontiveros pressed that the government agencies should step in to prevent more passengers from being disrupted in their travels due to canceled, rescheduled, and delayed flights in Cebu Pacific and other airline companies. “These kinds of inconveniences disrupt the travel experiences also of tourists, and as the chair said, could negatively affect the tourism sector,” she added. Aside from the reported overbooking, offloading, booking, and flight cancellations, Senator Raffy Tulfo said that adding extra flights daily amid lacking proper airplane maintenance can be called “abuses of the airline companies.” He lamented that it could pose danger and compromise the safety of all airline passengers, “There were safety issues surrounding the uploading, overbooking, and flight cancellations of airlines. If these airlines don’t care about fulfilling their obligations to provide air transport for their passengers, I will not be surprised that they are cutting corners when it comes to safety as well,” Tulfo pressed on. Tulfo said extra flights can also cause fatigue in pilots and flight attendants. For his part, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa wants the Civil Aeronautics Board to become proactive in resolving the massive airline mess in the country. Dela Rosa asked CAB if it is amenable to institutionalize the Air Passenger Bill of Rights in order to protect the public from erring airline companies. "What is your position? Do you agree with the proposal to create a law that will institutionalize the Air Passenger Bill of Rights?" asked Dela Rosa. In response, CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla, said they have been very supportive of the proposal. “But it seems it is not among the priorities of Congress,” he said. Dela Rosa said he is mulling to proposed the bill in the Senate “not to discourage the airline industry but to protect the public interest. The post Senate tackles airlines’ booking glitches, offloading mess appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
3 more trafficking victims repatriated
The Bureau of Immigration reported the repatriation of three more victims of a trafficking syndicate in Myanmar. In a report given to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit said that three victims arrived from Myanmar on 15 June on board a Singapore Airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. According to the BI-TCEU, the three left the country in April of this year while passing themselves off as tourists headed for Singapore. However, during the interview, they acknowledged that they had been hired online to work as call center agents in Thailand, only to learn that they had been relocated to Yangon, Myanmar, to work in a phony call center that engaged in scamming. Tansingco said that one of the three victims was an online influencer with more than 10,000 subscribers. The BI chief reiterated his warning to aspiring overseas workers not to agree to work abroad by departing as tourists. He added that leaving as tourists makes them more vulnerable, and the bureau received reports of victims being physically abused by these traffickers. If you wish to work abroad, do so legally through the Department of Migrant Workers. All three victims were turned over and assisted by the NAIA Task Force against Trafficking, together with the National Bureau of Investigation, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Migrant Workers. The post 3 more trafficking victims repatriated appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BI intercepts Laos-bound call center agents
Immigration agents at the Clark International Airport have prevented two women from flying to Thailand to work as seafarers. The two introduced themselves as sea-based overseas Filipino workers recruited to work in Thailand before boarding a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Bangkok on 24 May, the BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit said in a report to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco. The travel documents they presented to BI officers, however, were found to be spurious. The two eventually confessed that their final destination was Laos, where they were hired to work as call center agents. During interrogation, the women said they were recruited to work in Laos after responding to an advertisement they saw on social media, Tansingco said. The two also admitted that each of them paid P40,000 to their recruiters in exchange for bogus travel documents. According to BI, Filipinos are being trafficked to Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar to work as call center agents, but they end up working for online scamming companies. The post BI intercepts Laos-bound call center agents appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Wanted Korean intercepted at NAIA
The Bureau of Immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has arrested a Korean national wanted for a string of criminal cases in his country. In a report given to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, BI Intelligence Division chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. identified the arrested passenger as Kim SeonJeong, who was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 3 on 27 May. Manahan said that Kim had just arrived in the country via a Cebu Pacific flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, when he was accosted by elements of the BI Border Control and Intelligence Unit at the airport. BI supervisors alerted the BCIU agents after the immigration officer who processed Kim upon his arrival discovered that his name was included in the Interpol database. Tansingco immediately ordered the conduct of summary deportation proceedings against Kim to stand trial for his crimes. Information obtained from Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Manila revealed that Kim is a convicted felon and is wanted in Korea to serve his sentence for fraud, inflicting physical injuries and drunken driving. Korean authorities said that in October 2018, Kim defrauded a compatriot by enticing the victim to give him 30 million won, or nearly US$23,000, which he would pay in the amount of 100 million won within three months. Kim claimed that he would invest the funds in the casino business, but he reneged on his promise and instead pocketed the money that the victim had deposited in his bank account. It also reported that Kim presented a Korean passport, which was already reported as a stolen and lost travel document to the Interpol. The suspect is presently detained at the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending deportation proceedings. The post Wanted Korean intercepted at NAIA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
P18.38 million cocaine seized at Clark airport
Anti-narcotics agents intercepted 3.46 kilos of cocaine worth P18.38 million at the Clark International Airport in Mabalacat, Pampanga on Tuesday, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency reported yesterday......»»
P144.3-M shabu shipment seized at NAIA; courier arrested
MANILA - A South African national carrying 21.215 kg. of suspected shabu, with an estimated street value of PHP144.3 million, was arrested by agents of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City on Friday.In a statement issued on Saturday, the.....»»
P440-K shabu concealed in toy truck seized at Zamboanga airport
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Ten people were arrested when government operatives seized some PHP875,060 worth of illegal drugs in separate anti-drug operations in the past week here in the Zamboanga Peninsula.The biggest drug haul, though no one was arrested, was on Tuesday when government agents interc.....»»
Customs burns hazardous medicines
Customs agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday destroyed in Trece Martires, Cavite, another smuggled shipment of hazardous products and unregistered medicines......»»
BOC finds 119 smuggled live tarantulas hidden in rubber shoes
MANILA, Philippines — Agents of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted a package containing 119 live tarantulas that were hidden inside rubber shoes in a warehouse in Pasay City. The parcel declared as “buty” or Polish word for shoes, was shipped from Poland to a consignee in General Trias, […] The post BOC finds 119 smuggled live tarantulas hidden in rubber shoes appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
BOC destroys P10 million vapes, cosmetics
Government agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have destroyed around 24.6 tons of vape products, cosmetics and expired medicines valued at P10 million......»»
7 UAE-bound Pinays intercepted at NAIA
Government agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted recently seven Filipinas bound for the United Arab Emirates after they allegedly presented fake working permits......»»