Grace period for aliens affected by airport glitch
The Bureau of Immigration is giving a grace period to foreign nationals affected by flight cancellations on New Year’s Day.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said all foreign nationals whose flights were canceled or delayed after the Air Traffic Management Center of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines encountered technical issues that affected flights to and from the Philippines on 1 January were given a grace period on the validity of their authorized stay and their Emigration Clearance Certificate.
Those whose visas and ECCs expired during the period are given an extension until 12 January, to allow them to rebook their flights without added immigration penalties.
Tansingco issued the advisory given that many foreign nationals’ scheduled flights were disrupted.
“This is to assist them in rescheduling, without having to worry about overstaying,” he said.
He added that foreign nationals are only required to present their confirmed ticket showing their canceled flight from 1 January or onwards and/or their boarding pass.
“This extension is given in the spirit of the hospitality of the Filipino people. Those who were affected did not mean to overstay their visas, hence appropriate considerations are given to them,” he said.
CAAP report
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has been asked to submit a brief report on the circumstances surrounding the air traffic management, which led to Ninoy Aquino International Airport flights being canceled, delayed, and/or diverted.
CAAP has been given three working days to submit its report to the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and-Controlled Corporations.
Records from the GCG show that the Communications, Navigation and Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management system of CAAP was a strategic target in CAAP’s 2017 Performance Scorecard and its transition and implementation were the agency’s strategic target in its 2018 and 2019 scorecards.
To further support the implementation of CAAP’s CNS/ ATM, the GCG authorized the creation of 136 Communication, Navigation and Surveillance System Officer I plantilla positions through GCG memorandum order 2017-08.
Meanwhile, the BI commenced its 2023 annual report on Tuesday.
It said the annual report complies with the Alien Registration Act of 1950, which requires all foreign nationals with immigrant and non-immigrant visas to report to the bureau within the first 60 days of every calendar year.