Change in BI hours

[Jollygoodfellow]

May 3rd 

PRESS RELEASE
BI Back to Regular Office Hours
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced today that its offices will now be opened for business from 8 am to 5 pm daily instead of 7 am to 5:30 pm.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente said BI employees assigned at the main office and field, extension and satellite offices have started observing the new nine-hour work schedule yesterday.
Morente said the new work schedule was adopted as a result of the discontinuance of the payment of overtime fees of BI employees from the express lane fund.
President Duterte earlier vetoed the use of the express lane charges collected by the BI to augment the salaries of BI employees and pay the wages of its contractual workers.
In the past when BI workers were still allowed to use the express lane charges for overtime pay, employees at its field offices were required to work from 7 am to 5:30 pm daily.
Morente advised the transacting public, including its accredited travel agencies and law offices, to familiarize themselves with the new schedule.
He also assured that “despite our shortened office hours, we remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver fast and efficient services to the public.”
Morente, however, said that the BI will continue to implement a “no-noon break” policy for employees manning its frontline services.
“This is to ensure the unhampered and enhanced delivery of services in our offices and smoothen the processing of documents,” he added.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has mandated all government offices to implement the no noon break policy which is also enunciated in the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2010.

[Jack Peterson]

7 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Morente, however, said that the BI will continue to implement a “no-noon break” policy for employees manning its frontline services

Really

[DavidK]

But as a result you will now not get your passport back for 3 days when extending your visa. I've just been to do mine and I can collect it on the 12th.

I believe for Exit Clearance Certificates it's 5 days, which is causing some consternation to those who are leaving before their passport/certificate will be ready. It's more fun in the Philippines!

[Jack Peterson]

10 minutes ago, DavidK said:

But as a result you will now not get your passport back for 3 days when extending your visa. I've just been to do mine and I can collect it on the 12th.

We have suffered that for years in Dumaguete There is NO noon Break but equally no one seems to be working either and if the ACO is eating out it can be 2+ Hours

[jpbago]

Last Wednesday, we went to the Bacolod BI early at around 7:30 needing to pick up my passport and there was a British man waiting at the gate for them to open. He had been there since 7:00, not knowing of their new hours. In all of my time here and maybe in all of my life, I have never met a more polite gentleman than him. We talked until BI opened and then we overheard the staff talking to him, again in such a polite manner. The supervisor came out of the office to talk to him face to face. He had been here for 5 years and had some questions on his 13a renewal. His only flaw was that he wore socks inside his sandals!

[Jollygoodfellow]

On 5/9/2017 at 4:01 PM, DavidK said:

I believe for Exit Clearance Certificates it's 5 days, which is causing some consternation to those who are leaving before their passport/certificate will be ready. It's more fun in the Philippines!

Unless its changed from 6 months to a year stay you can get at the airport, after that must go through a office. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

28 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Unless its changed from 6 months to a year stay you can get at the airport

Yeah.  I was looking at their Facebook post on that and no-one from the BI has commented on it since 2015 so I asked point blank:

Quote

https://www.facebook.com/officialbureauofimmigration/?rc=p Question: Is this post still accurate information? Can a tourist who has been in Philippines from 6 to 12 months still get an ECC at the airport?

And I have yet to get a reply so it seems they are still thinking on that or something.

[Jollygoodfellow]

8 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Yeah.  I was looking at their Facebook post on that and no-one from the BI has commented on it since 2015 so I asked point blank:

The way to get an answer is private message them through Facebook. They always reply.

[Snowy79]

25 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Yeah.  I was looking at their Facebook post on that and no-one from the BI has commented on it since 2015 so I asked point blank:

And I have yet to get a reply so it seems they are still thinking on that or something.

I went down the Facebook route when my visa was running out. The information they supplied was wrong. Best to phone the department you want personally. Even then it'll depend who answers. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

22 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

The way to get an answer is private message them through Facebook. They always reply.

OK,  I just asked using that method.  If I get an answer I will post it.