The Bureau of Immigration (BI) clarified on Saturday that Filipinos who wish to travel as tourists or overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are not required to show proof of financial capacity before they are allowed to leave.
The agency's statement came after a news report broke out over the weekend saying this will be a "blanket requirement" to all Filipinos leaving the country, as a means to deter human trafficking and stem the flow of undocumented OFWs.
In an article from ABS-CBN News, BI chief Siegfred Mison said financial capacity is not a requisite before a citizen is allowed to enter or leave the country.
The right to travel is enshrined in the Constitution and enjoyed by every Filipino, he said.
Those who wish to travel abroad only need to present their complete travel documents, particularly their passport and other documents issued by a foreign country such as a tourist or working visa, before they are allowed to leave.
He said a Filipino citizen who will travel abroad as a tourist must present complete documents such as his airplane ticket, which is usually a two-way or round trip ticket, an authentic passport, and a proof that he has a place to stay in the country where he intends to go.
Travelers will only be asked to present additional supporting documents – including proof of financial capability to travel or proof of work or support in the Philippines – if it appears that the purpose for travel is inconsistent with what they have declared before immigration officials.
In another news from Rappler, Mison said it is a common practice for Filipinos to travel as tourists and end up as undocumented workers abroad.
He also said the bureau is more stringent in screening those who fit certain "tourist worker profiles":
- First time travellers who are going to destinations that are not popular among tourists
- Tourists with no steady source of income in the Philippines and no benefactors in their country of destination
The BI though said its officials “assess the totality of the circumstances” to determine the passenger's true intent.
Guidelines
The bureau and the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) created measures to protect Filipinos from illegal recruitment and human trafficking, dubbed as "Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International Bound Passengers," which took effect January 2012.
Under the guidelines, the bureau will automatically subject the following to secondary inspection:
- Travelers without financial capacity to travel escorted/accompanied by a foreigner who is not related to them
- Minor traveling alone or unaccompanied by either parent or legal guardian without the required travel clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
- Previously repatriated irregular workers, in which case, travel may not be allowed without the clearance from the IACAT
- Partners and spouses of foreign nationals intending to depart to meet and/or marry his/her fiancé without the CFO Guidance and Counseling Certificate
- Passengers traveling to countries with existing deployment bans, alert levels, and travel advisories and those in possession of a visa to the said countries
- Passengers who stayed abroad for more than one year during a previous departure from the country as a tourist/temporary visitor, intending to depart for the second and/or subsequent time.
Based on the guidelines, travelers are categorized according to purpose, whether as tourists, OFWs, or immigrants. They will be required to present documents depending on their travel purposes to prevent being offloaded.
The BI said offloading, or barring passengers from leaving the country, is not an official government policy but a consequence of the implementation of the guidelines.
Mison added: "We don’t offload people just because we want to. It’s a bitter pill that we have to swallow because we want to protect our fellow Filipinos."