Traveling can be a hassle when unexpected inconveniences arise, derailing plans that have already been scheduled and paid for.
Actor John Manalo experienced this firsthand after being unexpectedly offloaded from a flight to Thailand because of a minor tear in his Philippine passport.
In a series of social media posts shared on January 16, 2026, John detailed how a small, previously overlooked issue with his passport abruptly halted his travel, prompting him to examine airline protocols and the quality of Philippine passports.
“I was offloaded earlier on my way to Thailand because of a minor tear on my passport. Everything else is completely intact,” John wrote.
He stressed that the passport had already been used multiple times without any issues.
“I’ve flown to Japan, Canada, Mexico, the USA, Vietnam, and Thailand with this same passport, even with this tear, and never had any issues. Nasa ibang bansa lang ako three days ago.”
Despite his travel history, John said he was denied boarding after the tear was noticed by airline ground staff.
“Pero kanina na offload. Dahil napansin nung taga CEBPAC,” he shared, adding that similar cases could easily be found online.
“There are so many similar cases like mine if you search. Same side ng punit, same side ng haba.”
He explained that while he chose not to argue at the airport, the situation was difficult to accept: “Whether intentional or not, we’re issued passports that are so easily torn, and in the end, it’s Filipinos who suffer the consequences.”
Beyond the immediate disappointment, the offloading resulted in canceled bookings and lost time.
“Now comes the real burden: canceling everything I booked, the time, the effort, the anticipation,” John said
“It’s not easy to just get a new passport, especially when I already have another flight next week and no certainty if I’ll be able to secure one in time.”
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Why John Manalo says the airline wasn’t at fault
As reactions poured in, John clarified that his frustration was not directed at airline staff or immigration officers.
Published as is, he wrote: “Dami nag memessage sa akin at mali intindi sa post ko na ‘to,” he wrote in a follow-up post.
“First, hindi airline at ground staff sinisi ko. Protocol nila ‘yan.
“May karapatan talaga sila not to accept you kasi sila ang magbabayad ng fine pag tinanggap ka nila at pinabalik ka from ibang bansa dahil sa punit ng passport mo.”
He noted that while the incident happened under one airline, this was based on circumstance rather than accusation.
“Nagkataon lang na itong scenario na ito sa Cebpac nangyayari palagi,” he said, adding that he had recently flown to several countries using other airlines without encountering the same issue.
“So may kutob ako depende rin talaga sa bansa,” he continued.
“If mag research ka, laging non-visa country, mga neighboring country natin dito sa Southeast Asia yung mahihigpit. Kasi feeling ko, sa passport lang talaga sila nakadepende dahil hindi na tayo dumadaan sa embahada nila.”
The 'Goin Bulilit alum also clarified that he never reached Philippine immigration during the incident.
“Second, di rin yung immigration officer natin sinisisi ko,” he wrote. “Dahil never pa ako na-offload, at sa kwento na ‘to, hindi pa ako umabot ng immigration lane natin.”
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Calling out passport quality and the culture of blame
For John, the core issue remained the physical quality of the Philippine passport.
“Ang pinakapoint ko ay yung shitty quality ng passport natin,” he said. “Ang biodata ay dapat non-tearable. Hindi dapat papel, kundi polycarbonate. Matigas na plastic. Para tuwing na-scan, hindi tumutupi.”
He later added that Filipinos also shoulder additional burdens when traveling.
“Malupit pa. May travel tax pa tayo dito sa Pinas kada alis natin,” Manalo wrote, laughing off the fact that two of his payments were non-refundable.
“Dalawa na actually di ko na re-refund hahahah. Alam niyo ba na Pinoy lang ang nagbabayad ng travel tax,” he added
“Pag iba nationality di mo kailangan magbayad pag di ka sumobra ng isang taon.”
Despite the setback, John maintained a pragmatic stance.
“Blessing and curse talaga pag nakikita mo yung ibang bansa. Nagkakaroon ka ng comparison kung paano ba mamuhay ng tama.”
He acknowledged that his passport could still be usable depending on destination.
“Alam ko malilipad ko pa yung passport ko. Depende talaga sa country,” he said. “Ilang bansa yung nilipat-lipatan ng passport ko last week.”
Still, he said he would apply for a new one to avoid further complications: “Pero kukuha na rin ako ng bago para ma-avoid tong hassle na ‘to.”
He reiterated his main argument in all caps: “DAPAT DI NAPUPUNIT OR INAAMAG YUNG PASSPORT.
“Ten years ‘to nasa atin. Iba-iba pa klima na mararanasan nito.”
He floated a call for reform, saying that the Philippines should adopt polycarbonate passports similar to those used in other countries.
“Para matigas na plastic, mas madali rin i-scan kasi parang card. Di tumutupi.”
On January 18, as his post circulated again and opinions resurfaced, the former child actor addressed critics who accused him of blaming the government or acting entitled.
“Let me be clear. I did not point fingers at any individual,” he wrote.
“I simply stated a fact and an expectation that a passport, a vital security document, should not be easily tearable. That should not be controversial.”
He pushed back against comments suggesting personal negligence: “Just because it did not happen to you does not mean it cannot happen to others.
“This is victim blaming. And it shows how low our expectations of the government and public services have become.”
John said his intention was to spark discussion, not demand special treatment.
“I posted this not out of entitlement, but to spark a conversation that could lead to improvement, something all of us would benefit from.
“I have taken more or less 70 international flights, owned multiple passports, and this is the first time this has ever happened to me. This is not about being not used to traveling. It is about standards.”
He closed with a pointed reflection on the issue.
“What is frustrating is how quick we are to pull each other down. We defend a flawed system by blaming the person who experienced the problem. We normalize inconvenience instead of asking why it exists in the first place.”
“This is why change feels so hard. Because we keep blaming the victim, instead of questioning the system," he concluded.
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