MANILA – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines advised passengers travelling overseas to keep their passports in their possession and to closely monitor the check-in and immigration processes to avoid issues.

This was after a passenger on a local airline was not allowed to board a Bali-bound flight due to a tear on his passport.

Damaged passport may cause flight denial: Cebu Pacific responds to viral Facebook post

Cebu Pacific said its decision was based on the advice of the immigration office at the destination that the person holding the damaged passport wouldn’t be allowed entry.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, CAAP Spokesperson Eric Apolonio said each individual should keep his or her own passport even when traveling in groups. 

Apolonio also said passengers should take photos of the passport’s condition before giving this to the airline or immigration officers. 

“Kapag hawak ang pasaporte nila, kelangan titingnan nila pag nasa counter, iinspection nila kung maari litratuhan na nila para at least meron silang ebidensiya na ito ang original bakit nagkaganito,” he said. 

“Dapat sila mismo ang personal na magbigay ng personal sa counter, hindi nila ibibigay sa iba. Minsan kasi pag may grupo kayo nagmamadali, minsan hindi maiiwasan may mapunit na ganon sa dami ng passport na hawak,” he added.

The CAAP official also said he does not believe there is power tripping in the viral case since every airline counter has a CCTV that monitors all the movements of airline personnel.

“Whether totoo o hindi itong mga lumalabas sa social media ang dapat siguro ang ating mga pasahero be aware,” he said.

But he also advised those who have experienced similar incidents to immediately report to the airlines so that this can be addressed. 

 “Yung mga issue na ganyan airlines ‘yan, ang mga pasahero mag report immediately sa concern, sa status bakit nagkaganito para at least madali sila mag file ng complaint just in case mapatunanyan na meron talagang discrepancies,” Apolonio said.

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said the airline was tasked to ensure all documents are complete and not damaged or tampered with. It added that airlines are also bound to follow if the immigration of the destination country says it won’t allow entry of a passenger bearing a damaged passport.

FROM THE ARCHIVES