[1] Let It All Out (Vent/Reklamo)

FILIPINO IMMIGRATION OFFICERS REALLY LIKE TO PLAY GOD

FILIPINO IMMIGRATION OFFICERS REALLY LIKE TO PLAY GOD. Shoutout to Mactan-Cebu International Airport Immigration, thank you for the shitty experience.

Here it goes.

I approached the immigration officer and I was polite and said "good evening" as I handed my passport. He proceeded to look at my passport and asked me where my point of exit is. I replied and said Bangkok. He asked me why I am going to Bangkok. I told him that husband and I live there. He asked me to show his passport and in my head I was like "okay, that seems necessary". He then asked me for my work permit. I told him, I am not associated with any thai or foreign company there so I only have my dependent (marriage) visa, which is valid until 2024. He looked at my visa and said "this is not a work permit" as if I didn't literally just inform him that I do not have a work permit but my visa is valid. He then asked me where my husband works and then proceeded to demand his work permit and a "proof of relationship" just in case our marriage is "fake", like, WTF. I showed him a proof of our conversation last night and he gave me my phone back. Still not contented with everything I showed him, he asked for "marriage papers". I showed him an electronic copy, he got mad and scolded me and said "I need the original copies". At this point I was getting infuriated with all the castigation and downright berating. I kept my cool while he scolded me again and again how I should bring the original copies. I told him, I can call our lawyer if you really want proof. He said "it is not necessary", said more blah blahs to try to belittle me and then proceeded to inform me that he FLAGGED ME and said that I am NOT ALLOWED TO FLY OUT anymore next time if I don't have the ORIGINAL MARRIAGE DOCUMENTS with me.
He even pointed out that now he knows why I had a schengen visa, as if that is any of his concern. I was just literally waiting for him to ask to make my husband fly in Cebu para lang ma-verify niya nga ga-exist gyud akong husband and he is not some imaginary husband that I just made up. Makalagot ang way sa pag pangasaba ba, mura ko og criminal or illegal when clearly that is not the case. I did not obtain those documents so you can treat me like a child.

Immigration officers here just like to make up their own rules and hope they can find a reason to not let you go.
Wala man gali nang "original copy" rule nakabutang dira. Pinoy immigration officers really like to do things arbitrarily. Ayaw nalang mo pag himo og systematic set of rules, mag imbento raman diay mo'g inyong own rule. Rules differ from person to person. 🙄🙄🙄
Last time I was there the immigration officer was kind. Asked for my visa and that was it.
Sorry nalang, you can't find anything wrong with my papers and visa. Wala ko nimo na off-load just like what you intended, probably. IDK.

My husband told me, immigration officers really like to castigate women below 30. Is it now a crime to be a young woman who can travel? Why the ageism? Unsay gibuhat nako para sayon-sayunon ra og kasaba? Mayman og wala koy papers dira, nga kompleto man unta, unless magbuhat2 mo og bag-o nga requirement. Then of course I don't have it. 🫠

I only exited here twice, but today was enough experience for me to conclude that I will never fly out from Cebu anymore.
Di naman sad nako kailangan mubalik sa Pinas. Flag me all you want. I won't come back to the Philippines this year or maybe for the next years to come (unless there is an emergency. I hope not.)

I called my husband and told him about what just happened here and even he was angry about it. He urged me to post about my experience to raise awareness. FYI, my husband and I took 2 years to obtain my visa, 2 YEARS OF GRUELLING PAPERWORK, PAYMENTS, IMMIGRATION APPOINTMENTS, & SHEER EFFORT mostly from husband and his legal team tapos in the end sayun-sayunon raka nga murag grave offense imong gibuhat nga dili ra ba jud. It does not even tantamount to a right to berate me the way he did. Way to make a Filipino like me feel distrust to an immigration that is supposed to make us feel safe. Now I know why pinoys hate the idea of going back home. How traumatizing. 🙃

I am not a criminal, but the way i was belittled and castigated made me feel like I was.

Goodluck to all Filipinos who want to travel internationally, hopefully you won't experience what I just experienced.
I tried to call their immigration to complain, but no one will answer me. Just as I expected. 😪

One more thing, Ever since I have landed there in PH, they ruined my very new luggage. Scratches in all sides when in fact I handed it to them very clean and in an immaculate state. Make sure to wrap your luggage if magfly mo sa pinas, especially flying domestic. They don't give a tiny rat's ass about your pinalangga nga luggage. On contrary, Scoot (singapore airlines) handled my luggage with care. The contrast is deafening.

i would just like to add. He also questioned why my husband and I have different surnames. I explained na we LITERALLY JUST GOT MARRIED. It took us a long time to get the marriage paperwork done. Abi guro og sayon ra mag obtain og paperwork sa gawas na pag adto nimo ready na dayon the next day. I suggest you try to do some paperwork there, just to know how it really is like.

Not that I am doing this to satisfy Ph Immigration, but I am changing my passport name and my whole passport. It has been a plan to do so this year. I always read about how people in a certain airport here in PH just get offloaded even with all the proper paperwork. I knew I had to experience it at some point, but it happening today just caught me offguard.

Maybe if I have a foreign passport, the harrassment will not exist. Seeing as they are so kind to white people while very rude to Filipino tourists. Why is equality so hard for kapwa pinoy tourists?

As a law abiding citizen, I have the right to and will lodge a formal complaint with the proper authorities to make sure it does not happen again. If there is indeed a written documentation showing that he is right, I will back down. But if not, I will definitely push for some kind of retribution.

I may be small but you can't just bully me and get away with it. I am so sick of being treated like a child, especially by men with authority. (Not all but 95% of my bad experience indeed came from men with authority)

Thank you to my husband Thomas  for supporting me in this ordeal. I love you very much.

✍️Kienzle Leiterer