BUREAU of Immigration (BI) officers intercepted 16 Vietnamese nationals suspected to be attempting to enter the country to work in illegal online gaming hubs.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said they have noted a trend of foreign nationals attempting to enter the country as tourists but end up working illegally.

“These foreign nationals have all the complete documents needed as they are pretending to be regular tourists,” said Tansingco. “But careful scrutiny will show that they have a different intention of coming to the Philippines,” he added.

The group, composed of 12 males and 4 females, were intercepted last April 25 after landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on board a Cebu Pacific flight from Ho Chi Minh. Primary inspectors and members of the immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) noted that the intercepted foreign nationals do not even know what places they will be visiting in the Philippines.

On the same date, the BI’s I-PROBES barred the entry of five Chinese men suspected to be entering to work as laborers. The five men arrived at the NAIA Terminal 1 from Quanzhou, China on board a Xiamen Air flight. They were excluded for being likely to become a public charge after officers found that they are unable to support their personal stay in the country.

Last April 26, the BI also barred the entry of 3 female Vietnamese and 1 Chinese man for suspicious purposes of travel in the country.

The four individuals arrived the NAIA Terminal 3 on board a Cebu Pacific flight from Hanoi. All four were found to have doubtful purpose of stay, having given numerous inconsistent details about their trip to the country.

Meanwhile, Tansingco said that he has issued an order alerting BI personnel manning the ports after the bureau received intelligence reports that human smuggling syndicates are again attempting to shuttle the entry of illegal aliens.

In March, Tansingco issued an order to immigration personnel on heightened screening against smuggling syndicates.

“Since last month, I have ordered our immigration officers deployed international airports to be on the lookout for certain foreign nationals who would attempt to enter the country disguised as tourists but whose real intent is to work here illegally in violation of the conditions of their admission and stay as temporary visitors,” Tansingco said.

He added that he instructed the newly-revamped border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) to play an active role in the campaign against human smuggling.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Jun I. Legaspi