A Malaysian national, who has been barred from entering the Philippines since 2022, has been arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in Zamboanga City.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado identified the Malaysian as Hii Kien Tong, 32, who was arrested last Oct. 16 at the Zamboanga International Seaport (ZIS).
“We suspect that despite his being barred from entering the country last year, he managed to re-enter the country illegally,” said Viado.
The BI said Hii was at the ZIS to board M/V Antonio 1 bound for Sandaka, Malaysia.
“Hii was not allowed to leave after immigration officers saw that his name is in the BI’s database of blacklisted aliens and there was no immigration arrival stamp on his passport,” it said.
"“He was included in the said blacklist on Dec. 27, 2022 for illegally working in an online gaming hub with a canceled license to operate,” it disclosed
Hii is currently detained at the BI’s detention facility in Taguig City.