Paul Christian Ocampo

John Manalo expresses frustration after being offloaded over ‘minor tear’ in passport

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

Push Team

<p>Actor-director John Manalo took to social media to share a frustrating travel experience after he was offloaded from his flight to Thailand because of what he described as a “minor tear” in his passport. The actor posted about the incident on his Facebook page on January 15, along with a photo showing the small tear in the biodata page of his passport. </p><p>“I was offloaded earlier on my way to Thailand because of a minor tear on my passport. Everything else is completely intact,” he began. </p><p>He pointed out that the same passport had already been used multiple times without issue, saying, “I&#x27;ve flown to Japan, Canada, Mexico, the USA, Vietnam, and Thailand with this same passport, even with this tear, and never had any issues. Nasa ibang bansa lang ako 3 days ago.” </p><p>According to the actor, he was offloaded after airline staff noticed the tear, adding that similar cases could easily be found online. These cases, he said, had similar tear lengths and placements. Despite his dismay, John acknowledged that the airline was within its rights for offloading him, being responsible for their passengers and the legalities bound with the document.  </p><p>While he chose not to argue at the airport, John admitted the experience was painful, noting on the broader issue of the passport’s quality.  </p><p>“I chose not to argue earlier, but it’s honestly heartbreaking. Our own country. Whether intentional or not, we’re issued passports that are so easily torn, and in the end, it’s Filipinos who suffer the consequences.” </p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjohn.v.manalo.16%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02UbxPLX5yuyp4uqyQfKA1RTyhBcoK9HLHg3WHcSM9kGnzbJ86JnfgWnbXa51ejmJcl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="737" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>Beyond the emotional toll, the actor shared the practical impact of being offloaded. “Now comes the real burden: canceling everything I booked, the time, the effort, the anticipation. It’s not easy to just get a new passport, especially when I already have another flight next week and no certainty if I’ll be able to secure one in time.” </p><p>“Kung magiisip ka ng masama. Parang kalsada lang sa bansa natin, bakit hindi gawing matibay? Kasi pag matibay hindi mo na kailangan magpagawa ulit. Walang pera,” he maintained. </p><p>“Nakakaawa tayong mga Pilipino no? Ang hina na nga ng passport, ang hina pa ng kalidad. Kakasenti lang hahaha,” he ended. </p><p>In the comments section, John clarified that he was not blaming any individual or agency and emphasized that his disappointment was directed at the passport’s quality. He reiterated that airlines have the right to deny boarding because they shoulder penalties if a passenger is sent back due to passport issues. </p><p>He also clarified that immigration officers were not involved in the incident. Returning to his main point, John said, “Ang pinakapoint ko ay yung sh***y quality ng passport natin. Ang biodata ay dapat non tearable. Hindi dapat papel, kundi polycarbonate. Matigas na plastic. Para tuwing na sscan, hindi tumutupi.” </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTIOR_BlC1W/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2549906%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="718" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>In his Instagram stories, he shared images of other Philippine passports he found online that showed similar tears. He also voiced frustration over travel costs, writing, “Malupit pa. May travel tax pa tayo dito sa pinas kada alis natin. Dalawa na actually di ko na rerefund hahahah.  Tapos alam niyo ba na pinoy lang ang nagbabayad ng travel tax. Pag iba nationality di mo kailangan mag bayad pag di ka sumobra ng isang taon. 🙌 uy pilipinsssss saya haha.” </p><p>“Blessing and curse talaga pag nakikita mo yung ibang bansa eh. Nagkakaron ka ng comparison kung paano ba mamuhay ng tama. 😆,” he added.  </p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768554746074John more passports.png" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Despite the setback, John said he would move forward and fix the issue. In a later post, he shared that while his passport might still work depending on the destination, he would opt to get a new one to avoid further problems. </p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjohn.v.manalo.16%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0QpSjNNy9KkRUTAVSFhKdTDtxxQ3FUjrFfjKXmyjGyE3McThzRqN3ymkMQKYgDyV2l&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="495" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>He ended by reiterating his call for better passport quality, stressing, “DAPAT DI NAPUPUNIT OR INAAMAG YUNG PASSPORT. 10 years to nasa atin. Iba iba pa klima na mararanasan nito.”  </p><p>“Petition na gawing polycarbonate passport dito sa atin Para matigas na plastic, mas madali rin i-scan kasi parang card. Di tumutupi. 😂,” John emphasized.  </p>

<p>Actor John Manalo shared his disappointment after being offloaded from his flight to Thailand due to a minor tear in his Philippine passport. Through a series of posts, he narrated the incident, clarified misconceptions, and expressed concern over the quality of local passports.</p>

Actor John Manalo shared his disappointment after being offloaded from his flight to Thailand due to a minor tear in his Philippine passport. Through a series of posts, he narrated the incident, clarified misconceptions, and expressed concern over the quality of local passports.