John Manalo Barred from Flight Due to Small Passport Damage
JOHN MANALO – The actor-director shared his disappointment on social media after being offloaded from his flight to Thailand due to a minor tear on his passport.
According to him, the passport was still valid and intact except for the small damage. He explained that he had already used the same passport multiple times when traveling to Japan, Canada, Mexico, the United States, Vietnam, and even Thailand before, without any issues. Just three days prior, he had also traveled abroad without encountering any problem. However, airline staff noticed the tear and decided not to allow him to continue his flight, following standard safety and travel protocols.
Manalo clarified that he was not blaming the airline or the ground staff, as they were simply doing their job. Airlines can be fined or held responsible if a passenger is denied entry into another country due to an invalid or damaged passport, so they have the right to refuse boarding.
He also explained that he did not reach the immigration counter during this incident, meaning local immigration officers were not involved. Based on his observations and research, stricter checks often happen when traveling to nearby Southeast Asian countries, especially in non-visa destinations where entry decisions rely heavily on the condition of the passport.
What deeply frustrated him was the quality of Philippine passports. He pointed out that government-issued passports are made of materials that tear easily, especially the biodata page, which should be durable and resistant to damage. In contrast, many other countries use polycarbonate or hard plastic passport pages that are stronger, longer-lasting, and designed for frequent scanning and travel. Because of the weak material, travelers may face unnecessary stress, denied boarding, and unexpected expenses. Manalo also shared the personal burden caused by the incident. He now has to cancel hotel bookings, reschedule plans, and deal with wasted time, money, and effort.