7 Vietnamese nationals barred entry to the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has denied the entry of seven Vietnamese nationals found to be misrepresenting the purpose of their travel.
A statement released by the immigration bureau said the seven Vietnamese were intercepted on separate occasions at the NAIA Terminal 2 arrival area after flying in from Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.
“We intercepted the first batch of three passengers on February 9, and denied their entry to the country,” BI Port Operations Division Chief Atty. Candy Tan stated in her report.
“However, we were surprised to find that another four arrived the following day,” she added.
The officer said 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,” Tan said.
“Hence they were excluded and boarded on the next available flight back to their port of origin,” she added.
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.