The Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers intercepted 16 Vietnamese nationals believed to be trying to enter the country to work in illegal online gaming hubs.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco highlighted a concerning trend of foreign nationals attempting to enter as tourists but ending up working illegally. “These foreign nationals have all the complete documents needed as they are pretending to be regular tourists,” Tansingco stated. “But careful scrutiny will show that they have a different intention of coming to the Philippines.”
The group, consisting of 12 males and four females, was apprehended on April 25 upon their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. Immigration officers noted that the intercepted individuals lacked knowledge of their intended destinations in the Philippines.
Additionally, five Chinese men suspected of entering to work as laborers were denied entry at NAIA Terminal 1 on the same date due to their inability to support their personal stay in the country.
On April 26, three female Vietnamese and one Chinese man were also barred entry at NAIA Terminal 3 for suspicious travel purposes. They provided inconsistent details about their trip to the Philippines.
Commissioner Tansingco issued an order alerting BI personnel to be vigilant following intelligence reports of human smuggling syndicates attempting to bring illegal aliens into the country. In March, heightened screening measures were implemented to prevent the entry of foreign nationals disguised as tourists with intentions to work illegally.
The Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) has been instructed to actively participate in the campaign against human smuggling.
