Bureau of Immigration employees, especially those at airports, have been forbidden to say Merry Christmas to new arrivals. The reason why is rather amazing.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/891012/bi-employees-reminded-of-ban-on-merry-istmas-greeting/story/ |
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday reminded its employees, especially those stationed at airports, that greeting travelers “Merry Christmas” was not allowed,
“Ang standing policy is prohibited ang mag Merry Christmas, especially ang nasa airport na Immigration officers,” Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in an ambush interview.
Tansingco said this was because there was a connotation that when officers greet passengers with “Merry Christmas,” they are asking for gifts.
However, Tansingco said that this may not be avoided in certain circumstances, especially considering the culture of Filipinos. He said this would depend on the officer’s situation, intention, and way of speaking.
(If they greet you Merry Christmas, it’s not like you should just ignore them. Respond to them, "A Merry Christmas to you, too. Welcome to the Philippines.")
Tansingco said that outright soliciting for gifts when greeting was definitely prohibited.
(If that is what you will do, there’s no excuse for that because your intention when greeting is to get a gift. That’s not allowed. But if you are only responding, well, there’s nothing wrong with that.)
(Because that is the trait of Filipinos. We are hospitable people. We always tell other countries that Filipinos are very hospitable.)
They are not to greet travelers with "Merry Christmas" "because there was a connotation that when officers greet passengers with “Merry Christmas,” they are asking for gifts."
In what world does greeting someone with "Merry Christmas" connote a gift must be given? Only in the corrupt Philippines. Note that Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco goes on to remind BI officers that saying "Merry Christmas" when the intention "is to get a gift" is not allowed. But who would do that?
This prohibition is a sad reflection on the state of the Bureau of Immigration which has been racked with scandals and corruption. How many BI officers have been fired for taking bribes to let people in? Remember the pastillas bribery scheme?
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/07/05/2278709/5-pastillas-scam-dismissed-bi |
The pastillas scheme was exposed in 2020 after authorities discovered that immigration officers were receiving bribes amounting to P10,000 to allow foreigners, mostly Chinese, to enter the country without going through the proper immigration process at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
It was called the pastillas bribery scheme because the bribe money was rolled in a white paper that resembled the local milk pastry called pastillas.
Also note that Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco goes on to say that Filipinos are very hospitable. If you have the right amount of money they are indeed very hospitable. Tansingco also says travelers should not expect officers to be overly friendly.
Nevertheless, the public should not expect immigration officers to be “overly friendly.”
Tansingco said there should be “some level of formality” on their part since they’re representing the country in the performance of their duties.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1873948/no-christmas-greetings-at-naia-it-depends
But since there is so much corruption in the Bureau of Immigration BI officers are told to not greet incoming travelers with "Merry Christmas" because there is a connotation that they are asking for gifts! Make no mistake this prohibition is not about decorum and formality but is all about the fact that the Bureau of Immigration is a bureaucracy full to the brim of corruption.
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