BI: PH borders secure as 5,000 ‘undesirable’ foreigners barred in 2017

Passengers that just arrived in NAIA Terminal 1 line up behind the yellow lines of immigration counters. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has assured the country’s borders are secure as more than 5,000 “undesirable” foreign nationals were barred from entering the country in 2017.

BI port operations division chief Marc Red Mariñas said a total of 5,146 foreigners were barred in different airports nationwide last year.

They were registered sex offenders, wanted fugitives, suspected international terrorists, blacklisted foreigners, and previously deported aliens who tried to re-enter the country, Mariñas said in a report on Wednesday.

In addition, Mariñas said improperly documented aliens, as well as passengers who were rude and disrespectful towards immigration officers, were also denied entry into the country.

Data provided by the BI on Wednesday showed 2,168 Chinese nationals were among those denied entry, followed by 295 Indians, 190 Amercians, 183 Koreans, and 120 Vietnamese.

Most of the foreigners were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), while the others were stopped at airports in Cebu, Aklan and Pampanga, Mariñas said.

In a statement on Wednesday, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente commended the bureau’s port operations personnel for their vigilance as the country’s “gatekeepers” when they denied the foreigners of entry.

“Our country is safer and our borders are secure because of you,” Morente said in his message to BI port personnel. “Keep watching!” /je