MANILA— Travelers should expect long lines at immigration counters at the airport this weekend during the Chinese New Year celebration, the Bureau of Immigration said Friday.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, in a public briefing, said they anticipate more passengers arriving and departing at the airports.

"Asahan po natin na medyo mayroon pong kaunting … bahagyang pila dahil po mataas-taas na po ang bilang ng mga bumibiyahe these past few days lalung-lalo na po ngayong Chinese New Year," she said.

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"But makakaasa po kayo, ang ating mga counters po ay fully manned and ready to serve po itong ating mga biyahero," she added.

The BI said passengers should arrive early at the airport and proceed immediately to the immigration counters to get their clearances as soon as possible.

"Sa hanay po ng Bureau of Immigration, we are ready po 24/7 para po mag-assist po sa inyo po, sa mga bumibiyahe," she said.

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Sandoval also noted that number of flights going in and out of the Philippines has "increased significantly" compared to the last two years.

In 2022, a total of 6,125,841 arrivals and 6,132,330 departing passengers were recorded by the BI.

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Most of the foreign travelers came from the United States of America, South Korea, Australia, Canada and Japan, Sandoval said.

"Ang daily figures po natin, sa departures po natin, we are seeing around 34 to 36,000 departures, while we are seeing around 30,000 arrivals every day, so that’s a significant jump na po," she noted.