Twenty-five foreigners, 19 of them Vietnamese nationals who were suspected to be applying for jobs in illegal online gaming hubs, were barred from entering the Philippines last April 25 and 26, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said
Sixteen of the 19 Vietnamese nationals have all the complete documents as tourists “but careful scrutiny showed that they have different intentions in coming to the Philippines,” Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement.
The group, composed of 12 males and four females, were intercepted last April 25 after landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on board a Cebu Pacific flight from Ho Chi Minh, Tansingco said citing BI records.
But he said that “primary inspectors and members of the immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) noted that the intercepted foreign nationals do not even know what places they will be visiting in the Philippines.”
Also, last April 25, five Chinese nationals were intercepted at NAIA after disembarking from their flight that originated from Quanzhou, China, the BI said.
It said they were intercepted after immigration officers found that the five foreigners have not shown proof how they would support their stay in the Philippines.
Last April 26, the BI also barred the entry of 3 female Vietnamese and one Chinese man “for suspicious purposes of their travel to the country.”
They arrived at NAIA from Hanoi. “All four were found to have doubtful purpose of stay, having given numerous inconsistent details about their trip to the country,” the BI also said.
Tansingco said that he has issued an order alerting BI personnel manning the ports and airports on “intelligence reports that human smuggling syndicates are again attempting to shuttle the entry of illegal aliens.”
“Since last month, I have ordered our immigration officers deployed in international airports to be on the lookout for certain foreign nationals who would attempt to enter the country disguised as tourists but whose real intent is to work here illegally in violation of the conditions of their admission and stay as temporary visitors,” he said.
He added that he has instructed the newly-revamped border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) “to play an active role in the campaign against human smuggling.”