AT LEAST 12 Chinese-speaking interpreters were hired by the Bureau of Immigration to interview Chinese tourists who cannot speak English, because 35 percent of the number of foreign tourists denied entry at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals were Chinese nationals, according to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente.
The BI chief said the interpreters, recruited as contractual employees, have been assisting immigration officers to interview and pitch questions to Chinese passengers arriving and departing at the Naia.
“By engaging their services, we were able to eliminate the language barrier that for so many years has been a source of misunderstanding and miscommunication between our immigration officers and Chinese travelers,” Morente said.
He added with the aid of the interpreters, immigration officers can now easily perform their tasks in screening and assessing Chinese passengers before they are admitted into the country.
Immigration officers can now determine and decide if an arriving Chinese tourist should be excluded or denied entry depending on how the latter answers questions about their individual purpose in traveling to the Philippines, he said.
The hiring of Chinese interpreters was proposed by Marc Red Mariñas, BI port operations division acting chief, citing the immigration officers’ inability to talk with Chinese passengers who could not speak English.