Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) denied the entry to the country of 7 Vietnamese nationals found to be misrepresenting the purpose of their travel.
In a report submitted by BI Port Operations Division Chief Atty. Candy Tan, the 7 Vietnamese were intercepted on separate occasions at the NAIA Terminal 2 arrival area after flying in from Saigon and Singapore.
“We intercepted the first batch of three passengers on February 9, and denied their entry to the country,” said Tan. “However, we were surprised to find that another four arrived the following day,” she added.
Tan shared that when interviewed, the group showed that they were endorsed by an IT and business solutions company in the Philippines. However, when asked how they are connected to said company, all seven gave conflicting answers and admitted they only met at the Vietnam International Airport.
“When asked, they had no knowledge of IT or the workings of their alleged company. They were unable to establish their purpose of travel, hence they were excluded and boarded on the next available flight back to their port of origin,” said Tan.
Also read: Vietnamese will be richer than Pinoys this year – IMF
7 Vietnamese nationals denied entry to PH
The seven were excluded under Section 29(a) 5 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente reminded port personnel to strictly monitor arriving passengers despite the easing of travel restrictions in the country. “All immigration officers must strictly assess arriving passengers to ensure the legitimacy of their purpose of travel,” said Morente.
Those allowed to enter the Philippines include a foreign parent of minor Filipinos, and foreign parent of Filipino children with special needs, accredited foreign government and international organization officials, foreign airline crew, foreigners with long-term and investor visas, and those for medical and emergency cases, including their medical escorts.
Foreigners who have valid and existing Special Resident Retiree’s Visa and Section 9(A) visas could also enter the Philippines “as long as they present an entry exemption document to the Bureau of Immigration upon arrival.”
Source: Bureau of Immigration, Republic of the Philippines