(Eagle News) — The Bureau of Immigration attended to over 120,000 queries from travelers last year.
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the 120,438 queries it received via its hotline, email, and social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were an increase of 141 percent from the total queries the bureau’s National Operations Center received in 2019.
Morente said queries received via emails registered the highest increase, at 197 percent, while queries coursed through social media rose by 77 percent.
According to BINOC chief Djamina Diampuan, the usual queries are related to travel restrictions.
“We see that the increase is a result of quarantine protocols, because the usual ones that would go to our offices nationwide for information now ask via electronic channels to ensure social distancing,” acting Diampuan said.
Apart from the bureau hotlines, the Commissioner also has a direct portal on Facebook called Immigration Helpline PH.
The bureau also has a separate eFOI portal through which requests for information by the public are relayed.
The bureau has been a recipient of the Freedom of Information (FOI) compliant award from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) for excellence in giving the public access to information about its programs and services for two consecutive years– in 2019 and 2020.
