Senator Tulfo wants to mandate travel expense refunds for unjustly offloaded Filipino passengers

Philippine Senator Raffy Tulfo wants to require the reimbursement of the travel expenses of Filipino passengers who were deferred or denied boarding because of prolonged checks by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Tulfo's Senate Bill No. 1657 stemmed from reports received by the senator's office from passengers who complained about the BI's alleged inconsistent assessment standards, refusal to review documents, and lack of clear explanation for their denial.

“Prolonged immigration interviews which are usually conducted in the context of anti-trafficking efforts have, in certain instances, resulted in Filipino passengers missing their scheduled flights despite the absence of a formal court order directing their deferment or denial of departure. Thus, affected passengers are forced to shoulder additional travel expenses even though they are not at fault,” the senator said.

“While the State recognizes the vital role of the Bureau of Immigration in enforcing immigration laws and implementing anti-trafficking measures, it is equally imperative to safeguard the rights of Filipino passengers and ensure that they are protected from unnecessary financial burdens arising from deferred or denied boarding,” he added.

According to Tulfo, approximately 16,617 passengers have been offloaded in the first half of 2024, compared to 36,316 offloaded passengers in 2023.

Although airlines like Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific provide refunds and rebooking for offloaded passengers as a goodwill measure, Tulfo said such practices are not required by the Civil Aeronautics Board and rely solely on airline policy.

Beginning in 2024, the General Appropriations Act included a special provision under the Department of Justice–Bureau of Immigration allowing travel expenses of Filipino passengers deferred or denied boarding without a court order to be charged against the Special Trust Fund Account.

Tulfo said SB No. 1657, or the “Passenger Protection and Reimbursement for Deferred Departures Act,” aims to institutionalize clear, uniform, and transparent rules for reimbursing travel expenses, consistent with existing laws and fiscal accountability standards.

Tulfo clarified that under the measure, passengers denied or deferred from departure due to missing or incomplete travel documents—including government employees and those with an active court order—would not be entitled to reimbursement.

The measure also bars reimbursement for passengers with fraudulent or tampered travel documents, those identified as potential trafficking victims, and those assessed as suspected illegal recruiters or traffickers under RA No. 9208.

Tulfo said the Bureau of Immigration (BI), through its International Port of Entry and Exit Management Office (IPEE-MO) at the airport or seaport where the passenger’s departure was deferred, would receive and evaluate claims for reimbursement of travel expenses and endorse them to the Department of Justice–Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for determination.

-Paraluman News