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Departing passengers queue before the immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on July 4, 2023. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File

Departing passengers queue before the immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on July 4, 2023. The NAIA Terminal 3 doubles the number of immigration counters as part of The Bureau of Immigration and Manila International Airport Authority's plans to address long immigration queues. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

More Immigration Counters at Terminal 3

Jekki Pascual

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177501626799220230704-naia-3-immigration-counters-MD-17.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Departing passengers queue before the immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City on July 4, 2023. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said it was on &quot;full force&quot; amid the peak of the Holy Week rush when thousands of passengers travel for leisure or visit their provinces to take advantage of the long break.</p><p>In a statement, the BI said it expected around 45,000 departing international travelers to flock to the country&#x27;s major airports every day during the Holy Week exodus.</p><p>BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said in the release that the agency deployed additional frontline personnel and support units to ensure a &quot;smooth and efficient&quot; process for travelers. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/31/visa-relief-for-stranded-foreigners-in-ph-due-to-middle-east-war-extended-to-may-1-1711">Visa relief for stranded foreigners in PH due to Middle East war extended to May 1</a></div><p>Speaking to DZMM Teleradyo, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval explained that many passengers have already booked in advance.</p><p>&quot;We believe na talagang may impact yung mahal na presyo ng krudo at saka mga flight cancellations, so mukhang bababa ito ng bahagya pero dahil nga pre-booked karamihan ng mga ticket, marami pa rin inexpect natin na babyahe,&quot; Sandoval told DZMM Teleradyo.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fofficialbureauofimmigration%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02oKDcuUaKQLkXtw4w4Uorx7LtycVY1u2nmahNC9gQguvfWdcAXXLJFsK7gNYvyyfwl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="250" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Sandoval said all personnel, especially the frontliners, are required to work this week. All immigration counters are manned, while the electronic gates or e-gates are also functioning, she said.</p><p>&quot;Maneagable po pila natin, although meron nga expect talaga natin na meron at merong pila, but it will remain maneagable,&quot; Sandoval added.</p><p>Viado also reiterated the agency&#x27;s advisory for passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled flight to &quot;ensure a hassle-free journey.&quot;</p><p>He reminded passengers that registration in the <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="http://etravel.gov.ph">eTravel platform </a>is free of charge.</p><p>He stressed that websites and online entities that require payment and claim to be the government eTravel site &quot;are clear cases of fraud.&quot;</p><p>Meanwhile, operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport remain smooth so far. Many passengers have arrived at the airport either to travel to the provinces or to go abroad. No major untoward incident has been reported.</p><p>The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines also announced that starting April 1, 2026, terminal fees in CAAP-operated airports have been slashed while landing and takeoff fees have also been reduced. This is their response to the rising costs of fuel.</p><p>Depending on the airport classification, terminal fee of most major domestic airports are now P150-200 from P300-350.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vssLdbjD8vA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday said it was on "full force" amid the peak of the Holy Week rush when thousands of passengers travel for leisure or visit their provinces to take advantage of the long break.</p>

The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday said it was on "full force" amid the peak of the Holy Week rush when thousands of passengers travel for leisure or visit their provinces to take advantage of the long break.

Immigration on 'full force' amid Holy Week travel rush

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Immigration on 'full force' amid Holy Week travel rush

Jekki Pascual,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 01, 2026 12:23 PM PHT

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Updated April 01, 2026 04:51 PM PHT

Read More:

Etravel

Bureau of Immigration

Holy Week Exodus

Holy Week Rush

Semana Santa

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