Dubai - Travel agents who issue UAE visit visas for Filipinos bound for Dubai held different views on the possible move to reinstate the affidavit of support document that had earlier been a requirement of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Philippine Consulate in Dubai are yet to receive instructions from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on whether or not to resume the notarisation of affidavit of support.
Yasmin Abdullah, Managing Director, Sara Tourism, told Khaleej Times that their customers are not at all bothered about paying an additional Dh100 for the authentication of the affidavit of support at the Philippine Consulate in Dubai. "I don't think they would mind paying Dh100, but what bothers them is the hassle involved when they present the affidavit of support at the airport," she stressed.
"When the passengers show the affidavit of support signed by their relatives in the UAE, the immigration personnel would also look for other supporting papers, even a salary certificate and a work permit," she said. "They should only ask for a visa, ticket and passport of the passenger. I'm in favour of invitation letters signed by relatives in the UAE," she added.
When asked whether incidents such as the so-called "supporting pesos" or extortion of UAE-bound passengers at the Manila airport still exist, Yasmin said: "It cannot be avoided. I've heard of such incidents, including escort services." Escort services usually involve the facilitation of travel of passengers at the airport for an undisclosed fee but otherwise translates to blatant corruption.
Another travel agent, who requested anonymity, stated that replacing an affidavit of support with an invitation letter from the relative who will act as a guarantor of the UAE-bound passenger was more favourable. Grace Garido, tourism executive at Al Wasl Travels, said that the agency does not mind if the affidavit of support is reinstated.
Till date, the travel agency provides its Filipino customers with an affidavit of support form which is patterned after the form supplied by the Philippine Embassy, but with minor changes to it. "As the Philippine Consulate in Dubai does not notarise the affidavit of support, we ask the relative in Dubai who sign the affidavit of support to attach a copy of their passport and residence visa," she said.
Garido meanwhile disclosed that for some time now, there hasn't been a lot of offloading of passengers at the Manila airport.
Tito Ponce, an overseas Filipino worker in Dubai, said that a social support is needed for Filipinos travelling to the UAE on visit visas."I know of someone who had no one to turn to here in Dubai and had lost a lot of weight. I think an affidavit of support issued by a relative in the UAE is required in this case," he said.
Commenting on the offloading of passengers at the airport, he said: "Some travel agencies here may be keeping silent on the issue for fear of losing out on potential customers. The media should bring out the real picture on whether or not offloading of passengers continues to take place. Passengers are being offloaded because they are not legitimate travellers but job-seekers."By Ramona Ruiz
© Khaleej Times 2005
