The Bureau of Immigration (BI) today announced that they have stopped 242 foreigners from entering the Philippines because they suspected them of planning to work here illegally.
The foreigners were from Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and China, said Commissioner Jaime Morente in a statement that appeared on the BI’s Facebook page. Seventy-nine were intercepted at Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay, 33 were barred at Terminal 2, and 130 were rejected at Terminal 3.
Read: ‘Pastillas’ whistleblower alleges immigration officials receive PHP20,000 a week in bribes
BI Intelligence Chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said that the foreigners had traveled through other destinations first in an apparent effort to obscure their true point of origin.
“We see this as a cause for concern,” Manahan said. “Our frontliners will heighten our efforts in screening these aliens. We are in close coordination with our foreign counterparts in ensuring that no aliens with bad records enter the country. But if they are already in the country before we receive information about their crimes, we will immediately send them out.”
Meanwhile, Morente said that they will continue to probe the alleged “pastillas” scheme, in which immigration officials reportedly receive bribes in exchange for facilitating the entry of Chinese nationals into the country. The scheme was so named because the bribes were wrapped in paper like the milk-based confections.
“I have ordered all NAIA heads replaced, and reshuffled all frontline personnel to break any possible collusion among them, [and] this revamp affected around 800 officers,” said Morente.
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