A United Arab Emirates-based Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) and his family were offloaded from their flight at NAIA Terminal 3 due to what he described as slow and inconsiderate actions by an immigration officer. Dennis Roldan, his wife, their son Dion Liam, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and their nanny Gen were already loaded onto their China Southern Airlines flight to Dubai when the incident occurred. The family was stranded after the immigration officer, identified as Ms. Aniong, questioned Gen despite her having complete documents and a return ticket. The officer even checked the nanny's Facebook and Messenger accounts, consuming precious time as the flight's departure window closed. The family desperately pleaded with officers to speed up the verification during the final boarding call, but their pleas were ignored. By the time Gen was finally cleared, the plane had departed. Roldan expressed deep disappointment over the financial loss and, more importantly, the lack of compassion and empathy from the officers. He hopes his story will spark reform within the Bureau of Immigration, especially in handling cases involving families with children who have special needs.
