The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said that in order to improve their abilities in guaranteeing the protection of life at sea, 10 of its personnel from the BI Bay Service Section are presently undergoing training.

This training, which started on 23 April and runs through 3 May, is being conducted by the Southern Institute of Maritime Studies-Manila Inc. It consists of both live lectures and hands-on training to give the staff the knowledge and abilities they need.

According to BI Bay Service Section Chief Alnazib Decampong, they understand how important it is to keep enhancing the skills of their personnel, particularly those assigned to critical positions like at their bay service section.

Additionally, with this training, their officers will be able to prioritize the security and safety of passengers and crew while efficiently completing immigration inspection procedures for marine vessels coming and departing.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco emphasized the importance of this type of training in guaranteeing the effective and dependable operation of immigration services in the bay areas.

"The safety and security of individuals traveling by sea are paramount," Tansingco stated. "By investing in the training and development of our personnel, we are furthering our commitment to upholding maritime safety standards and protecting the welfare of all maritime passengers," he added.

The BI intends to expand the scope of this training program to include more bay service personnel who are in charge of performing immigration inspections on maritime vessels that arrive at and depart from Philippine ports.