78 ‘poor’ Vietnamese to be deported

THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) will deport 78 Vietnamese nationals who surrendered last week after the agency vowed a crackdown on overstaying foreigners in the country.

BI spokesperson Tonette Mangrobang said they were processing the indigency claims of the Vietnamese before deportation orders would be issued against them.

Mangrobang said the Vietnamese surrendered to the BI with the help of the Vietnamese Embassy last week.

Some of the foreigners had been in the country illegally, particularly in Metro Manila, from one to two years.

“Some of them were in the buy and sell business. Some  were  employed as household help. I was surprised some of them were household help,” Mangrobang said.

The 78  Vietnamese nationals sought their embassy’s help after  Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente vowed a crackdown on foreigners illegally in the country.

“It was after he declared that we are strengthening our target hardening, going after aliens illegally staying in the country,” Mangrobang said.

The BI is processing the Vietnamese’s indigency claims so their immigration arrears could be temporarily waived.

Mangrobang said foreigners must pay arrears for overstaying before they could be removed from the BI’s blacklist and allowed to return to their country of origin.

“We would like to encourage other overstaying foreigners to come forward since they won’t be jailed if they turn themselves in to us,” she said.