THE Bureau of Immigration yesterday said 3,359 unwanted foreign nationals were barred entry into the country in 2023.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said they were deemed “undesirable or not properly documented and thus unfit” to be admitted into the country.
He said that except for those who were denied entry due to minor infractions, such as failure to secure entry visas or procure return tickets, the rest of the foreigners turned back by immigration officers were blacklisted and banned from entering the country for being undesirable aliens.
According to the BI chief, the bulk of the excluded foreigners were refused admission after they were deemed as likely to become public charges if they were allowed to stay in the country.
In immigration parlance, a public charge pertains to a foreigner whose presence in the country “poses a menace to society or a burden to the government” from whom he could depend for subsistence or support while in the country.
“As gatekeepers of our country, our officers are duty-bound to see to it that only aliens with legitimate purpose of travel are accorded the privilege to visit the country. Illegal aliens and fugitives are not welcome in the Philippines,” Tansingco added.
BI records show that apart from public charges and improperly documented aliens, the list of excluded passengers also includes aliens who were already blacklisted, registered sex offenders, wanted fugitives, and those who were rude and disrespectful towards BI officers.
Earlier, the BI said 150 foreigners with records of being sex offenders in their respective countries were barred entry to the country last year.
The 1940 Philippine Immigration Act expressly forbids the entry of foreigners convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude such as sex-related offenses in the country.
Data provided by the agency show that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 accounted for the bulk of the excluded foreigners totaling 1,603, followed by NAIA 1, NAIA 2, Mactan-Cebu, and Clark in Pampanga with 1,157, 211, 187, and 143 exclusions, respectively.
