Manila: Seven more immigration counters for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be installed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. The additional counters will be available starting April 1, bringing the total counters for OFWs at Terminal 3 to 14, Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told the Philippine News Agency.

According to Philippines News Agency, Sandoval mentioned that an additional 25 immigration officers will be deployed to operate the new counters. With the augmentation, Terminal 3 would have a total of 57 workstations in the departure area, while the arrival area has 46 workstations and eight e-gates.

In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon episode last Feb. 27, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado discussed the upcoming additional counters for OFWs but did not provide details at that time. Viado emphasized the collaboration between the private sector and the government, led by the President, to prioritize the comfort and safety of OFWs.

Ramon Ang-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) has provided a space for an OFW lounge at Terminal 3. The lounge can accommodate around 200 passengers and offers complimentary food and drinks, resting areas, and charging stations. An OFW lounge was also introduced at Terminal 1 last year as a joint project involving the House of Representatives, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Migrant Workers, and Manila International Airport Authority.

Both lounges are available for free, regardless of the type of tickets the OFWs are holding. Viado reaffirmed that taking care of the OFWs is among their priorities, echoing Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez's statement that opening a lounge for OFWs was a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.