Filipina - problem with Philippine immigration

[martincymru]

My friend's sister was flying Clark to Sg.
PH immigration have asked for my friends details (name, address, work permit etc. - she lives in Sg Domestic Helper). Also they asked for her email address and ...... wait for it..... password.
Has anyone ever heard of this before?
Btw she is tourist visitor. one month, has funds and return ticket. Housewife in PH. This is 2nd time refusal, 1st time was no invitation letter.

[the lynx]

My friend's sister was flying Clark to Sg.
PH immigration have asked for my friends details (name, address, work permit etc. - she lives in Sg Domestic Helper). Also they asked for her email address and ...... wait for it..... password.
Has anyone ever heard of this before?
Btw she is tourist visitor. one month, has funds and return ticket. Housewife in PH. This is 2nd time refusal, 1st time was no invitation letter.

The password bit, definitely an attempt to pull a fast one. Don't give it!

[Mi Amigo]

It's so sad when you can't trust immigration / police / security officers, etc. A few years ago in Cambodia I had my wallet stolen from my bag at the airport security X-ray machine. Only the security people could have taken it, but by the time I realised it was missing they'd covered their tracks. It's extremely unlikely that such problems would occur here, something to be grateful for.

[martincymru]

update.
3rd time lucky.....no questions asked.... just straight thro immigration in Clark/PH.
Is there a standard set of questions and forms and documents required for a PH tourist coming to Sg? Many PH people are from simple backgrounds and appear clueless; it's a shame to expolit vulnerable people in this way.

[Steve1960]

Unfortunately there is no magic answer. It seems exit from the Philippines can often be entirely down to what a particular immigration officer decides. Shortly after I met my Filipina wife I flew her to Hong Kong as I was on business there. PH immigration initially turned her away despite the fact that she had an invitation letter, was flying with a premium airline (see below) copy of the hotel reservation with her name on it, a copy of my business card and passport, money in her wallet, photographs of us together etc etc etc

I think the immigration officer was looking for shall we say a 'compensatory payment' for allowing her to leave

It was only due to her perseverance and refusal to leave the immigration area that they let her through. I think the officer became concerned that she was drawing attention to the situation!

Of course every coin has two sides. The immigration officers are also trying to stop girls leaving the country to work as prostitutes in other countries which makes them quite aggressive with females travelling alone.

Airlines make a difference too. Make a flight reservation with a well known cheap carrier and it seems the girls are more often turned away at PH immigration.

[nakatago]

Unfortunately there is no magic answer. It seems exit from the Philippines can often be entirely down to what a particular immigration officer decides. Shortly after I met my Filipina wife I flew her to Hong Kong as I was on business there. PH immigration initially turned her away despite the fact that she had an invitation letter, was flying with a premium airline (see below) copy of the hotel reservation with her name on it, a copy of my business card and passport, money in her wallet, photographs of us together etc etc etc

I think the immigration officer was looking for shall we say a 'compensatory payment' for allowing her to leave

It was only due to her perseverance and refusal to leave the immigration area that they let her through. I think the officer became concerned that she was drawing attention to the situation!

Of course every coin has two sides. The immigration officers are also trying to stop girls leaving the country to work as prostitutes in other countries which makes them quite aggressive with females travelling alone.

Airlines make a difference too. Make a flight reservation with a well known cheap carrier and it seems the girls are more often turned away at PH immigration.

Yes, Philippine immigration is such a big pain. So is customs. Some of these people find the flimsiest excuse to bother people and using logic don't work against them--they're usually motivated by money (customs) and to a lesser extent, power trip.

What you could do is, as they're doing their "swindle," grab a pen and start scribbling. When asked, tell them you're writing their name because you were told that if you ever face issues, just report them to the national branch of their department or to the media.

[the lynx]

Unfortunately there is no magic answer. It seems exit from the Philippines can often be entirely down to what a particular immigration officer decides. Shortly after I met my Filipina wife I flew her to Hong Kong as I was on business there. PH immigration initially turned her away despite the fact that she had an invitation letter, was flying with a premium airline (see below) copy of the hotel reservation with her name on it, a copy of my business card and passport, money in her wallet, photographs of us together etc etc etc

I think the immigration officer was looking for shall we say a 'compensatory payment' for allowing her to leave

It was only due to her perseverance and refusal to leave the immigration area that they let her through. I think the officer became concerned that she was drawing attention to the situation!

Of course every coin has two sides. The immigration officers are also trying to stop girls leaving the country to work as prostitutes in other countries which makes them quite aggressive with females travelling alone.

Airlines make a difference too. Make a flight reservation with a well known cheap carrier and it seems the girls are more often turned away at PH immigration.

Yes, Philippine immigration is such a big pain. So is customs. Some of these people find the flimsiest excuse to bother people and using logic don't work against them--they're usually motivated by money (customs) and to a lesser extent, power trip.

What you could do is, as they're doing their "swindle," grab a pen and start scribbling. When asked, tell them you're writing their name because you were told that if you ever face issues, just report them to the national branch of their department or to the media.

But won't that move provoke them to cause literal pain (to ass)?

[Steve1960]

I think its just a case of dealing with it sensibly and being insistant as my wife was.

Often the ones that get turned away probably deserve it. I have seen it myself at PH immigration. A girl travelling alone wearing a mini skirt, high heels and showing a tattoo on her shoulder. Now that does not confirm she is travelling to another country to be a bar girl but it's like a red rag to a bull for the immigration staff!

[bro75]

On one hand, these policies or actions by immigration officers are inconveniencing legit tourists and actually costing them money if they are wrongly stopped from departing.
On the other hand, human trafficking is a real problem with PH, and a lot of Filipinos end up being exploited in countries that do not offer protection to them (middle east / african countries esp) and worse some become victims of white slavery although some actually know what they are getting into. When these things happen and come to light, relatives of the victims are quick ask for help from the government and blame the embassy officials if help is not quickly provided. It is more difficult to fix the problem by dealing with another country than stopping it at the airport.

[proxymoron]

From my travels to PH the thing I learned was that it is not the human trafficking which is a problem with the immigration. But it is the "unpaid" human trafficking which is the one they are worried about. Apparently there are agents there who would pay up to 25000php (around S$800) per Bar Girl / Entertainment artist to get an immigration clearance. And like rest of the world (majority of them), they really dont care much about the human trafficking issues. They are just trying to get their share of the easy money which these girls are going to make in SG or other countries. This makes them go aggressive at the unpaid ones, which means all the remaining young girls who dont have a valid pass in SG. Probably that explains why the immigration folks allow travel for those who get in to argument and generates attention of the public.

Its a sad situation, where the weakest in the chain (girls) always gets exploited and makes the least return of their effort.

[nakatago]

The official line is all Filipinos (not just those females of the *ahem* entertainment industry) should go through two government agencies first for their own protection if they're going abroad to work.

Of course, the unintended consequence is that it's a major pain in the arse for everybody else who do not need protection are at least well capable of keeping out of trouble who wishes to travel.

For example:

Juan dela Cruz gets a working visa for, let's say, Canada. Canada will let him in with no problems, the only paperwork required is his passport and visa. However, he won't be allowed to leave the Philippines without going through POEA and have to register with OWWA first then must show his Canadian visa, a certificate from POEA, OWWA membership, cerficiate from the employment agency, letter of invitation from the host country, certificate of employment from his company in Canada, NBI clearance, DOST clearance, Bureau of Immigration clearance, Uncle Bob's Lucky Seven Club ID, Justice League Super Secret Friendship club ID, etc.

Note, though, that all these require some form of payment. Hence, Filipinas who go abroad who hope to raise their families out of poverty tend to have huge debts just to be able to leave the country to work legally.

[Steve1960]

The official line is all Filipinos (not just those females of the *ahem* entertainment industry) should go through two government agencies first for their own protection if they're going abroad to work.

Of course, the unintended consequence is that it's a major pain in the arse for everybody else who do not need protection are at least well capable of keeping out of trouble who wishes to travel.

For example:

Juan dela Cruz gets a working visa for, let's say, Canada. Canada will let him in with no problems, the only paperwork required is his passport and visa. However, he won't be allowed to leave the Philippines without going through POEA and have to register with OWWA first then must show his Canadian visa, a certificate from POEA, OWWA membership, cerficiate from the employment agency, letter of invitation from the host country, certificate of employment from his company in Canada, NBI clearance, DOST clearance, Bureau of Immigration clearance, Uncle Bob's Lucky Seven Club ID, Justice League Super Secret Friendship club ID, etc.

Note, though, that all these require some form of payment. Hence, Filipinas who go abroad who hope to raise their families out of poverty tend to have huge debts just to be able to leave the country to work legally.

Stop it please you have caused me to have those nighmares again about the ordeals I went through to get my wife out of the Philippines. I don't want to think about how many hours we spent in Government offices waiting...........forever waiting and the NSO in Quezon City was created by the devil himself to make my life a misery

[nakatago]

The official line is all Filipinos (not just those females of the *ahem* entertainment industry) should go through two government agencies first for their own protection if they're going abroad to work.

Of course, the unintended consequence is that it's a major pain in the arse for everybody else who do not need protection are at least well capable of keeping out of trouble who wishes to travel.

For example:

Juan dela Cruz gets a working visa for, let's say, Canada. Canada will let him in with no problems, the only paperwork required is his passport and visa. However, he won't be allowed to leave the Philippines without going through POEA and have to register with OWWA first then must show his Canadian visa, a certificate from POEA, OWWA membership, cerficiate from the employment agency, letter of invitation from the host country, certificate of employment from his company in Canada, NBI clearance, DOST clearance, Bureau of Immigration clearance, Uncle Bob's Lucky Seven Club ID, Justice League Super Secret Friendship club ID, etc.

Note, though, that all these require some form of payment. Hence, Filipinas who go abroad who hope to raise their families out of poverty tend to have huge debts just to be able to leave the country to work legally.

Stop it please you have caused me to have those nighmares again about the ordeals I went through to get my wife out of the Philippines. I don't want to think about how many hours we spent in Government offices waiting...........forever waiting and the NSO in Quezon City was created by the devil himself to make my life a misery

Silly white man.

You don't go to NSO in East Avenue. You call them up and have your documents delivered to you. 300-500 pesos is peanuts compared to the headache and time you'll lose there.

It's an "express-and-convenience" fee sanctioned. It's a "bribe" without the guilt but with a receipt.

[morenangpinay]

I think I see the problem with the op's friend. She was a former domestic worker in Singapore. so even if its not true, they will assume shes coming back to work and avoid going through the normal and legitimate process of being hired as an overseas worker. Plus, you must show some financial ability to travel, if she is a housewife then there is some doubt there. So what we usually do is get the letter of invitation from the embassy and send copies of IC of friends/relatives living in sg for the sponsorship of their stay.

Philippines is notorious for human trafficking victims and singapore is a human trafficking destination.

This might be helpful to your friends or anyone you know for the Philippine Immigration. Check guidelines
http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?opt ... Itemid=103


For Filipino spouses and other partners of foreign nationals

Travelers falling under this visa category shall present the following documents for primary inspection:

a) Passport
b) Permanent residence permit or visa / immigrant visa / permanent residence card
c) Guidance and Counseling Certificate
d) CFO Emigrant registration sticker
e) Airline/Sea Craft Ticket


disclaimer, i am not from the government

[Steve1960]

Silly white man.

You don't go to NSO in East Avenue. You call them up and have your documents delivered to you. 300-500 pesos is peanuts compared to the headache and time you'll lose there.

It's an "express-and-convenience" fee sanctioned. It's a "bribe" without the guilt but with a receipt.

Unless of course one is short of time to get everything done during fleeting visits to Manila (requiring something from the NSO to take to yet another Government office) and / or one has already located their family to Singapore and has no address in Manila