1 day ago
1
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said travel activity stayed strong during the Holy Week, despite airport and flight disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict.
Rudy Santos
MANILA, Philippines — Despite the continuing conflict in the Middle East, the Bureau of Immigration said it expects international passenger volumes to remain high in the coming weeks.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said travel activity stayed strong during the Holy Week, despite airport and flight disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict.
Immigration officers processed a total of 782,344 passengers across all international ports from March 29 to April 5, with 391,243 arrivals and 391,101 departures.
The figures were slightly higher than the same period last year, when 371,731 arrivals and 361,361 departures were recorded.
For the first quarter of 2026, the BI reported 4,218,683 arrivals and 4,521,001 departures, up from 3,871,492 arrivals and 4,196,492 departures in the same period in 2025.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said optimism over sustained passenger traffic is based on the “hope the situation in the Middle East deescalates so international travel can go back to normal.”
The BI noted a significant drop in travel to and from Middle Eastern countries during the first quarter, which fell by around 80 percent due to the ongoing tensions.
He said the bureau expects continued high passenger traffic at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other major airports in the coming weeks as global travel demand remains steady.
In a related development, the government continued its repatriation efforts, bringing home 488 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents from Dubai, Lebanon and Kuwait on April 14 and 15.
According to latest data from the Department of Migrant Workers, 125 OFWs and their family members arrived from Dubai on the evening of April 14 at the NAIA Terminal 3.
Another batch of 35 Filipinos arrived on April 15, including 21 OFWs and three dependents from Dubai, as well as 11 OFWs from Lebanon.
Later the same day, 328 OFWs and their dependents from Kuwait also landed at NAIA Terminal 3 aboard a Kuwait Airways flight at around 5:30 a.m., further increasing the total number of repatriates.
The remains of 20 Filipino workers from Kuwait were also brought home on the same day. Authorities said the families were given assistance and religious rites were conducted before the turnover of remains. – Christine Boton
