Got flight plans. Expect tighter passport checks

MANILA - The Bureau of Immigration is implementing tighter checks on passports following the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight over the South China Sea over the weekend. News reports have said two passengers on board the flight used fake passports. Authorities, however, have ruled out that the two are terrorists. Speaking to radio DZMM, Immigration Commissioner Fred Mison said the bureau will soon install new passport readers that would better detect fake passports in Philippine airports. He said the BI will deploy more personnel including anti-fraud experts that can detect fake travel documents. He said that on Tuesday, an immigration officer in Cebu intercepted an Indian national who was using a fake passport. "It was detected by the immigration officer and the one holding the passport has been turned over to the legal division to file the appropriate charges," he said. Mison said the BI has also implemented a new scheme that will reduce passengers€™ queuing time at immigration counters in all international ports in the country. "All airlines have already been reminded to tell their passengers that if you are a foreigner coming into the Philippines, you are required to fill up an arrival card. But if you are a Filipino, you don't need to fill one up," he said. Similarly, he said foreigners need not fill up a departure card when leaving the country but passengers with Philippine passports must fill one up. RADIO DZMM, March 12, 2014