The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is expecting the arrival of body-worn cameras for airport personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by the end of the year.
According to BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval, the cameras will be used by personnel who are conducting secondary inspections to verify travelers with “red flags.”
“If something needs to be clarified under investigation, we will be able to see what really happened,” she said in an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo.
Sandoval also added that the cameras will have a livestream feature which will be monitored by the office of the commissioner.
4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan on Sunday welcomed the BI decision to embrace the use of body-worn video cameras for its secondary inspectors.
“The donning of body cameras will provide an accurate recording of events whenever an international traveler comes into contact with an immigration inspector. It will protect both the passenger and the officer,” he said.
The BI spokesperson also emphasized that the cameras are meant to deter potential abuse during the inspections and also to protect personnel from baseless complaints
The BI’s protocol for screening travelers for potential victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment was closely inspected earlier this year after information on passengers being offloaded or missing their flights over suspicion of their travel details was reported.
In July, a passenger set to leave for Taiwan was allegedly offloaded after failing to show birth certificates to establish her relationship with her current trip sponsor, who was allegedly a distant relative based in her destination country.
As of June, the Philippines remains in the Tier 1 level of ranking in its efforts to fight against human trafficking, with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) identifying about 340 potential trafficking victims abroad in the earlier half of this year.
Libanan meanwhile added that body cameras “will also lessen the liability of inspectors.”
Libanan served as BI commissioner for three years under the Arroyo administration, during which he introduced the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in all airport immigration areas and counters in 2008.
Secondary inspection allows the BI to conduct additional research on an international traveler in order to verify information without causing delays for other arriving or departing passengers.
At a port of entry or exit, when an international traveler’s information cannot be readily verified (for example, due to lack of required documentation), the passenger is usually directed to an immigration interview area known as secondary inspection.
The BI earlier announced its P16-million budget to procure body cameras for its secondary inspectors.
In May, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill that would enable the BI to embark on a bold plan to modernize its systems and professionalize its staff. Rio N. Araja