Special immigration lanes have been shut down by the Bureau of Immigration in Manila. The main reason behind this closure is to prevent the human traffickers from taking undue advantage of these counters. The counters which have been closed down were specific counters meant for the elderly, handicapped and other officials in the government.

According to Ronaldo Ledesma, the official who is in charge, this would be continued. For all the diplomats and business travel card holders under the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, a separate and exclusive counter would be opened.

The special assistance counters were closed down considering the constant rise in instances pertaining to illegal facilitation of passengers via these counters. The official has also said that those involved in human trafficking along with some corrupt personnel and other collusions cater to such hideous ways to enable people to walk into the nation unlawfully. This is especially true for the Filipino workers who intend to seek work here.

On the other hand, the exclusive counters for diplomats would be positioned in an area which would be highly visible. The place would be monitored throughout which would make it easy to spot anyone trying to use unlawful means.

The closures would be put into effect immediately. At the same time, the diplomats would be offered the best of the assistance by the Public Affairs office under the Manila International Airport Authority.

The government of the nation has brought about a specific crackdown against human trafficking. This has come about as a response to the nation’s inclusion in the Tier 2 list of countries with serious conditions pertaining to trafficking by the US State department.