Last April 17 2022, Glen *not his real name*, a Filipino tourist bound to Phuket was denied departure by the Bureau of Immigration. Glen had complete documents proving his employment, return ticket and accommodation. He wasn't a first time traveler and had a good travel record. 

While being interrogated, he was intimidated to show his bank account, personal and company email. The officer was not wearing proper identification and refused to give her name.

After more than one hour of interrogation and just as Glen's flight had departed, he was finally allowed to embark. He had to rebook his flight for another 200 USD. Same thing happened to his companions. The minimum wage in the Philippines is approximately 205 USD. 

Every day, at least 60 Filipino tourists are offloaded in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Philippine's main international gateway to the world. Most of them are legitimate tourists - common Filipinos who save their hard earned money for a chance to see the world.

Issa, a digital nomad and travel rights advocate, shared Glen's story on Facebook and has since went viral with over 20,000 shares which is just proof of the rampant abuses in the Bureau. So many similar stories and worse experiences have been exposed including numerous privacy violations, cases of harrassment and intimidation, violation of Republic Act No. 6713, an act establishing a code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials and employees, violation of Republic Act No. 1405 Law on Secrecy of Bank Deposits and more.

After exposing the abuses, Issa has been receiving kidnapping threats to her two minor kids, harrassment and intimidation. She was also accused of being an illegal recruiter. She has documented everything here. Glen's bank information including his bank balance was also disclosed in social media in a very derogatory way.

"We have enough proof of all these violations including the fake profiles used to harass and intimidate us. The banking information disclosed was something that only the Bureau of Immigration would know. These comments and threats were made simultaneously and in support with each statement as if it was a premeditated action. These profiles were also simultaneously taken down as soon as we provided screenshots as proof of their actions. We cannot say for sure but it is most likely people from the Bureau posing as fake profiles since they are prohibited to use social media."

_____________________________________________________________

WHAT THIS PETITION IS ALL ABOUT

We acknowledge the legal mandate of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in protecting Filipinos against illegal recruiters and human traffickers. We believe that ultimately they have the best intention for our countrymen. We understand the need for questioning but there is a LEGAL and ETHICAL way to do so without committing abuses.

The right to travel and free movement may not be absolute but it is sacred and protected by Section 6, Article III of the 1987 Constitution​, The Right to Travel Act and Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. We need to draw a clear line to maintain the balance between the mandate of the BI and Filipinos' right to travel.

Thus we propose the following: 

1. Proper education for all travelers regarding their rights. We propose this information be disseminated thru BI's official website, social media pages and thru posters and other printed materials. 

2. Clear guidelines on the interrogation process and line of questioning of Immigration officers. Everything should be within the legal boundaries and should not in any way violate the rights of the passengers. We also propose a maximum interrogation time of 30 minutes.

3. A complaints and abuse desk in all airport terminals.

4. Proper identification for all airport personnels and employees.

5. Full accountability and reimbursement of all expenses incurred like flight and hotel rebooking due to the lapses on BI's part. 

6. Proper training of all BI officers about the travel culture in other countries and the current digital work and travel trends which should be given importance especially now that the world is transitioning to a remote workforce.

7. Regular open forum with travel advocates, lawyers, media and representatives of offloaded passengers. There has been no practical way to reach the BI for complaints.

We are still waiting and we are willing to cooperate to a productive and constructive discussion with the Bureau of Immigration. We would be happy to educate, consult and be an instrument of change in recognizing the travel rights of the Filipinos.

_____________________________________________________________

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Share this petition with your family, friends, media contacts and influencers. We need to get as much mileage as possible.

Use the hashtags #protecttravelersrights and #fightagainstBIabuse

Join our community Digital Nomads Asia

Join our movement

We are not soliciting donations! All donations go to change.org:  https://help.change.org/s/article/Promoted-Petitions-FAQs?language=en_US

Your signature and share is more than enough help.