Charles Teves
A tourist from Laguna was unable to go on his planned international trip due to alleged delays and unnecessary questioning by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Aldrin Clark Edward ‘Ace’ Bicomong expressed his disappointment on July 1 through a Facebook post, describing the incident as the ‘worst experience ever’ and revealing that he wasted P15,000 in just one night.
“Totoo nga ang sabi nila about gano ka BS ang Immigration dito,” he said.
Bicomong provided a detailed account of the sequence of events, reminiscing that he arrived at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport around 6 p.m. for his scheduled 9:40 p.m. flight with Jetstar.
He completed the payment for his travel tax, underwent the check-in process, and obtained his boarding pass.
At around 8 p.m., Bicomong recounted that he proceeded to the office of the BI for an interview.
He mentioned that there was a second interview, which he attributed to his first time traveling outside of the Philippines. Despite the situation, he claimed to have waited patiently.
Unbeknownst to Bicomong, the situation would soon take a turn for the worse.
By 9 p.m., he decided to inquire about the progress as his flight was only 40 minutes away.
At that point, he was instructed to take a seat and wait for a call from an immigration officer.
By 9:30 p.m., boarding time had already commenced, yet Bicomong was still waiting to be interviewed.
According to his account, Jetstar issued a final call at 9:40 p.m., and the aircraft departed sometime between 9:45 p.m. and 9:50 p.m.
“Nagtake-off na yung plane saka nyoko kinall-out? Tapos sasabihin nyo na di nyo kasalanan na naiwan ng flight?” he said.
Bicomong observed that the questions asked during the second interview were identical to those during the first interview. Once the interview was eventually completed, he claimed that the immigration officers ‘gaslighted’ him by saying, “sayang naman sir di kayo umabot.”
With no other option available, Bicomong attempted to reschedule his flight for the following morning, as long as he could still depart as originally planned.
However, he claimed that Jetstar did not provide any available flights on his desired date.
As a result, his ticket was labeled as a ‘no show,’ rendering it void and ineligible for a refund, despite him having checked in on time.
“Ang Ending? 15k LANG YUNG LUMIPAD HINDI AKO HAHAHAHAHAHA!” he wrote.
Bicomong expressed his disappointment and frustration at the sleep deprivation, extended waiting period, exhaustion, and hunger he experienced, only to return empty-handed to Laguna.
“Gusto ko lang naman mag vent out ng stress. Ay lalong na stress sa nangyari.”
Bicomong stated that the incident had a traumatizing effect on him, to the extent that he no longer desires to travel outside of the Philippines.
Travelers have expressed their frustration with NAIA following multiple blunders such as cancellation of flights.
