MANILA – Seven more immigration counters for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be installed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The additional counters will be available starting April 1, bringing the total counters for OFWs at Terminal 3 to 14, Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told the Philippine News Agency.
Sandoval said an additional 25 immigration officers will be deployed to operate the new counters.
With the augmentation, Terminal 3 would have a total of 57 workstations in the departure area, while the arrival area has 46 workstations and eight e-gates.
In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon episode last Feb. 27, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said there would be additional counters for OFWs, but did not provide details.
“Ito ho ang isang magandang ehemplo ng partnership between the private sector and the government na pinangungunahan po ng ating Pangulo, kasi binigyan po ng prayoridad and comfort at safety ng mga OFWs po natin (This is a good example of partnership between the private sector and the government led by the President, as this prioritizes the comfort and safety of OFWs),” Viado said.
To recall, Ramon Ang-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) provided a space for an OFW lounge at Terminal 3.
The lounge, which could accommodate around 200 passengers, offers complementary food and drinks, resting areas and charging stations.
An OFW lounge was also introduced at Terminal 1 last year. It was a joint project of the House of Representatives, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Migrant Workers and Manila International Airport Authority.
Both lounges can be used for free, regardless of the type of tickets the OFWs are holding.
Viado said taking care of the OFWs is among their priorities.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez earlier said opening a lounge for OFWs was a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
