A TOTAL of 16 Vietnamese and five Chinese nationals suspected of attempting to enter the country as tourists only to end up working here illegally were barred by Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Immigration protection be and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) head Bienvenido Castillo III, in his report to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, noted a trend of foreign nationals attempting to enter the country as tourists but actually become illegal workers.
The first group that was barred was composed of 12 male and four female Vietnamese nationals. They were intercepted last April 25, 2024 after landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on board a Cebu Pacific flight from Ho Chi Minh. They are suspected of intending to work in illegal online gaming hubs.
Castillo said that primary inspectors and members of the I-PROBES noted that the intercepted foreign nationals do not even know what places they will be visiting in the Philippines.
On the same day, the I-PROBES also barred the entry of five Chinese men suspected to be entering to work as laborers.
The five men arrived at the NAIA Terminal 1 from Quanzhou, China on board a Xiamen Air flight and were excluded for being likely to become a public charge after officers found that they are unable to support their personal stay in the country.
Meanwhile, on April 26, the BI also barred the entry of three female Vietnamese and one Chinese man for suspicious purposes of travel in the country.
The four aliens arrived at the NAIA Terminal 3 on board a Cebu Pacific flight from Hanoi and were found to have doubtful purpose of stay, having given numerous inconsistent details about their trip to the country.
Tansingco meanwhile said that he has issued an order alerting BI personnel manning the ports, after the bureau received intelligence reports that human smuggling syndicates are again attempting to shuttle the entry of illegal aliens.
In March, Tansingco issued an order to immigration personnel to go on heightened screening against smuggling syndicates.
“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,” Tansingco said.
He also instructed the newly-revamped border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) to play an active role in the campaign against human smuggling.
“These foreign nationals have all the complete documents needed as they are pretending to be regular tourists, but careful scrutiny will show that they have a different intention of coming to the Philippines,” the BI chief stressed.
