BI employees reminded of ban on ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting

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.

“Pag binati ka ng pasahero, Merry Christmas, alangan naman hindi mo pansinin ‘yun. Magsabi ka ng Merry Christmas too. Welcome to the Philippines,” he said.

(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.

“Kapag ‘yun ang ginawa, walang patawad ‘yan kasi kung ang intensyon mo para mag Merry Christmas para maka pamasko ka, ‘yun ang bawal. Pero kung sumagot ka lang ng nag greet sayo, eh, hindi naman siguro masama kung sumagot ka,” he said.

(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.)

“Kasi ang mga ugali nating Pilipino we are hospitable person. Sinasabi natin sa ibang bansa that Filipinos are very hospitable,” he added.

(Because that is the trait of Filipinos. We are hospitable people. We always tell other countries that Filipinos are very hospitable.) — DVM, GMA Integrated News