Manila, MINA – Philippine authorities made special arrangements to accommodate thousands of Filipino Muslims performing Hajj this year, the Bureau of Immigration said, as the country’s first batch of pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.
About 7,500 Filipinos will perform the Hajj in 2023, according to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.
The first batch of almost 300 arrived in Madinah on Saturday on board a Philippines Airlines flight, Arab News reported.
The Philippines Bureau of Immigration has made special arrangements to accommodate Filipino Hajj pilgrims, it said in a statement, to “improve their overall experience during the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage and thereafter.”
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Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said: “Our primary goal is to make the journey as seamless as possible and allow (them) to focus on their spiritual endeavors without the unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
“This is our way of extending support and courtesy to our Muslim brothers who are embarking on this pilgrimage which is considered as one of Islam’s most sacred and important religious events.”
In the predominantly Catholic Philippines, Muslims constitute roughly 5 percent of the country’s population of 110 million. Most live on the island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago in the country’s south, as well as in the central-western province of Palawan.
Tansingco said the special measures include dedicated lanes in various airports across the Philippines, designated specifically for the Hajj pilgrims to ensure speedy immigration process.
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After the first Hajj flight on Saturday, remaining flights for Filipino pilgrims are scheduled until June 16, NCMF spokesperson Yusoph J.
Mando said, adding that the commission “has been working tirelessly” to make this year’s Hajj operations successful.
“It is our hope in the commission that this shall be the beginning of a highly systematic Hajj operations for the Philippines,” Mando said in a statement shared with Arab News on Sunday.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a special message delivered by his special assistant Anton Lagdameo during a send-off ceremony in Manila, said Filipino pilgrims “shall also act as our nation’s emissaries of peace and unity with other countries.
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“May the tales of your journey inspire, and bridge gaps foster understanding and unity amidst our diversity, and promote a more peaceful and harmonious society,” he said.(T/R3/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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