Over 2.3K foreigners barred from entering PH Jan-June this year

Of the number, 1,920 of the aliens were turned away at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the rest were stopped at the airports in Mactan, Clark, Kalibo, Aklan and Davao. (PNA Photo)

MANILA — More than 2,300 foreign nationals were barred from entering the country during the first six months of the year, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Monday.

According to BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina, a total of 2,351 aliens of various nationalities were denied entry in the different ports as a result of the agency’s intensified efforts to thwart the entry of foreigners whose presence here are deemed inimical to public welfare and safety.

Of the number, 1,920 of the aliens were turned away at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the rest were stopped at the airports in Mactan, Clark, Kalibo, Aklan and Davao.

“They were turned back after undergoing primary and secondary inspection by our immigration officers and were declared unfit for admission into our country for a variety of reasons,” the BI official said in a statement.

“They were issued exclusion orders and booked on the first available flight to their ports of origin,” Medina added.

Data from the BI-POD’s travel control and enforcement (TCEU) show that 1,129 Chinese nationals topped the list of excluded aliens, followed by 106 Indians, 87 Americans, 52 Taiwanese, and 67 Koreans.

The list includes registered sex offenders, wanted fugitives, suspected international terrorists, and blacklisted and previously deported aliens.

He said that most of the foreigners were excluded for being public charges or persons without visible means to support themselves, and whose purpose of coming here are doubtful.

Medina added that some were turned back for being rude and disrespectful towards immigration officers, and for having incomplete travel documents.

On the other hand, Commissioner Jaime Morente commended BI port personnel for their accomplishments even as he stressed the sovereign right of every country like the Philippines to deny entry to aliens deemed as undesirable and inadmissible.

He also exhorted the immigration officers “not to relax your guard and be always vigilant in discharging their duties as gatekeepers of our country”.

“Our immigration officers are working hard day and night to protect our borders from these threats,” said Morente.

“We are serious in our drive against illegal aliens, and we are doing the best so we can to stop them from entering the country,” he added.

Morente likewise clarified that they “are not targeting specific nationalities,” but are instead “targeting illegal and undocumented individuals who try to enter the Philippines”.

He explained that those who were excluded for being a public charge or whose entry is a threat to public order and safety will be barred from re-entering the country.