Category Archives: Travel

OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS DITCHING THE BALIKBAYAN BOX IN FAVOR OF SUITCASES TO AVOID CUSTOMS TAX

August 27, 2015 Pol Pinoy 1 Comment

NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – The Philippines’ Bureau of Customs (BOC) has come under very intense fire in recent weeks from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) because of its recent announcement that balikbayan boxes will be opened and inspected to determine whether any of the items contained inside are subject to tax.

Balikbayan boxes are those corrugated cardboard boxes used by overseas Filipinos to ship gifts and household items for their families back home. Until recently, balikbayan boxes were free of inspection and customs tax.

In order to avoid inspection and customes duties, many OFWs have ditched the balikbayan box in favor of huge suitcases. They would rather bring their gifts with them when they travel back to the Philippines than have them sent through shipping companies and vendors. This way, they would be physically present when their luggages are inspected by Customs upon their arrival in Manila.

The new modus operandi is causing huge problems for the airlines because the multiple checked suitcases are creating long lines at airport counters. Airlines are also concerned about potential overloading of the aircraft.

It has also resulted in long lines at the arrival lounges at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and has prompted BOC to deploy more customs inspectors.

Well, BOC has brought this upon itself.

International, Travel

TRAVEL ADVISORY ISSUED FOR AMERICANS VISITING MANILA

August 27, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – The U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory to all Americans and others intending to visit Manila.

“The safety of our citizens is a priority concern,” the advisory said, “so we are advising Americans to postpone or cancel non-essential travel, or to be extremely careful when visiting the Philippines, especially when arriving in or departing from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The travel advisory was issued after an arriving foreign national sank into a 2-ft sink hole while waiting in line at NAIA’s immigration counter. The platform he was standing in suddenly collapsed.

Earlier this year, arriving and departing passengers were drenched with rainwater after part of the airport terminal ceiling collapsed and leaked during a heavy rainstorm.

NAIA is known to be among the worst airports in the world where overcrowding, long lines, confusing signage, non-working toilets and indoor heatwaves are an everyday occurrence.

Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters today that Americans who absolutely need to travel to Manila can still do so, but at their own risk.

International, Law Enforcement, Travel

DONALD TRUMP NOW WANTS TO SECURE AMERICA’S AIRPORTS TO PREVENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

August 26, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

DALLAS, Texas (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – Donald Trump may have been focusing on the wrong country — Mexico — in his campaign to end illegal immigration. Building a great wall along the entire stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border has been the focal point of his campaign.

A new report from the Migration Policy Institute says that Asians now outpace Mexicans in terms of undocumented immigrant growth.

China, South Korea, India and the Philippines are among the top ten countries with the fastest growth of undocumented immigrants.

Reacting to the report, Trump unveiled a new plan to secure America’s airports to prevent undocumented immigrants or potential undocumented immigrants from entering the country.

The Republican candidate’s plan is for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from the Department of Homeland Security to board all arriving international flights and check passports and visas even before the passengers disembark. Passengers from Asian countries — regardless of whether or not they have valid visas — will be subject to intense interviews by the agents to determine whether they have the potential to overstay their visas.

Pregnant women, regardless of nationality, will be automatically denied entry, a move that another presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, supports. Bush recently made public statements against ‘anchor babies,’ children born in the U.S. to non-citizen mothers.

Paasengers who do not pass the on-board inspection and interview will not be allowed to disembark and will be sent right back to the flight’s country of origin.

“The best way to curb illegal immigation is to do it right at the source — the airports,” Trump said, “and the best time to prevent anchor babies is before they are born.