THE Bureau of Immigration yesterday called on residents of Batangas and nearby areas to immediately report foreigners staying illegally in their areas of jurisdiction.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco made the appeal less than a week after a joint immigration-police team apprehended seven Chinese illegally working in a quarry in Taysan, Batangas.
The Chinese are detained at the BI detention facility in Bicutan, Taguig pending the resolution of the deportation cases against them.
“We ask the community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities of foreign individuals that they encounter,” he said.
The operation, conducted by the BI’s regional intelligence unit in coordination with the local police, led to the apprehension of the Chinese workers.
Tansingco stressed that community vigilance and reporting can further help the bureau locate foreigners conducting illegal activities in far-flung areas such as the one in Taysan.
He also highlighted the importance of reporting foreign sex predators and sex tourists, a priority under the agency’s Project Shieldkids campaign.
Tansingco made the appeal with the agency set to conduct the fourth leg of its service caravan on June 7 in Batangas City.
The caravan, according to Tansingco, will provide expedited processing for various BI services, including tourist visa extensions, exit clearances, dual citizenship applications, and other important transactions.
