Passengers form a line at the Bureau of Immigration counters in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 on April 10, 2017. (INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — House-to-house operations to arrest foreigners illegally staying in the country and looking for them in malls are not allowed, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said following the total ban of Pogo hubs.
“Hindi po pwede magbahay-bahay at maghanap sa mga mall ng foreign nationals,” BI Spokesperson Dana Sandoval clarified in a radio interview.
(You cannot go house-to-house or search the malls for foreigners.)
In line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive for Pogos to leave the country by the end of 2024, over 10,000 foreign Pogo workers have already downgraded their visa as of Monday.
The BI said the deadline for filing visa downgrade is on October 15.
After this date, the BI will cancel all valid visas of foreigners working for Pogo companies and order them to leave the country within the prescribed 59-day period.
“Kapag ang mga ito ay ‘di umalis before December 31, which is the deadline na sinet po ng ating pangulo [to leave the country], sabi after the year, the year ends, doon na po tayo mag-i-initiate ng deportation proceedings against the foreign nationals na naiiwan pa po dito,” Sandoval explained in an interview on Teleradyo Serbisyo.
(If they do not leave before December 31, which is the deadline set by our president [to leave the country], we will initiate deportation proceedings against the foreigners who remain here after the year ends.)
During the radio interview with Noli de Castro, Sandoval said a mission order is necessary before apprehending the foreigners who are staying in the country.
“Sa atin po, hindi po tayo basta pwedeng mag house-to-house ng foreign nationals because tayo po ay kailangang mayroong mission order. Hindi po maaari na basta na lang dumagit ng kung sinong Chinese,” Sandoval emphasized.
(For us, we cannot just conduct house-to-house operations for foreign nationals because we need to have a mission order. We cannot simply apprehend any Chinese at random.)
She added that an investigation and case build up must also be done to confirm whether or not the aliens concerned are illegally staying or doing business in the country.
“Ang kailangan po gawin ng ating intelligence division kung may makita po na ganyan, na kakaibang activities, is to have case build up first on the individual na nakita. Maaaring sundan. Maaaring imbestigahan, at once confirmed na ito po ay illegal alien ng ating intelligence division. Saka po mag-iissue ng mission order ang [BI] commissioner,” the BI spokesperson explained.
(What our intelligence division needs to do when they observe such unusual activities is to first conduct a case build up on the individual in question. They may be followed, investigated, and once confirmed by the intelligence division as an illegal alien, only then will the [BI] commissioner issue a mission order.)
According to Sandoval, a case build up includes reports filed about suspicious individuals or illegal aliens that may be living in local communities.
“Kapag may nakukuha tayong reports mula sa mga kababayan natin or people around them about suspicious individuals or foreign nationals, illegal aliens that might live in their area, isa po yan sa mga sinusundan ng ating intelligence division,” she stated.
(When we receive reports from our fellow citizens or people around them about suspicious individuals or foreigners, illegal aliens who might be living in their area, this is one of the leads that our intelligence division follows up on.)
With this, Sandoval urged the public to help local authorities by reporting suspicious individuals that they may encounter in their communities.
“Kapag may nakita, ‘wag lang po nating basta padaanin o ano. Kapag may nakita pong kakaiba sa ating community, mga kapitbahay natin, may mga bagong mukhang online gaming sa tabi ng bahay natin, i-report po natin sa Bureau of Immigration para mahuli at maipa-deport din,” she said in the interview.
(If you see something, don’t just ignore it. If you notice anything unusual in your community, like new faces involved in online gaming near your home, report it to the Bureau of Immigration so they can be apprehended and deported.)
Furthermore, the spokesperson called on local government units (LGUs) to carefully scrutinize those who are applying for business permits to avoid legalizing hidden online gaming and illegal activities.
READ: 10,000 foreign Pogo workers sign up for visa downgrading
“‘Yung mga LGU, we’re pleading po na kung may mga nag-a-apply ng business permit na kumpanya na mukhang under the guise lang of a certain company pero online gaming talaga, let’s be strict siguro. Malaking bagay po sa atin ‘yon na makipagtulungan po tayo, because it’s really the lookout of everyone,” Sandoval said.
(We’re pleading with LGUs that if companies applying for business permits seem to be operating under the guise of a legitimate business but are actually engaged in online gaming, let’s be strict. It’s a big help to us if we cooperate, because it’s really everyone’s responsibility to keep an eye out.)
“Malaking bagay po yung local government units na mapigilan po yung pag-usbong ng mga ganitong uri ng mga industriya,” she reiterated.
(Local government units play a crucial role in preventing the rise of industries like these.)