(Eagle News)–The number of international travelers who entered and exited the country dropped by at least 95 percent compared to last year’s figures since community quarantines were imposed.
Bureau of Immigration Deputy Spokesperson and National Operations Center (BINOC) Acting Chief Melvin Mabulac said that only 189,000 passengers arrived from March 16 to June 30, a far cry from the more than 5.16 million passengers who arrived in the same period in 2019, or a decline by more than 96 percent.
He said only 238,000 passengers left the country during the period, compared to the 5.18 million who departed in the same period last year, or a 95 percent decline.
Mabulac said that the bulk of passengers arrived at and departed from the Ninoy Aquino Interntional Airport (NAIA) since all the other international ports were closed during the lockdown.
He said international flight operations resumed at the Clark and Mactan airports only in June.
“Also included in these figures are the more than 16,000 seafarers who disembarked after being quarantined aboard their vessels anchored at the Manila Bay,” Mabulac said.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente attributed the sharp drop to the suspension of international flights by different airlines and the imposition of travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We do not foresee these statistics to rise in the near future while the entire world is still fighting to defeat this coronavirus,” Morente said.
