Article by:
Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – A total of 1,320 foreigners were barred from entering the Philippines last year as their presence was inimical to national interest, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday.
Citing the latest data, Port Operations Division chief Carlos Capulong said Chinese nationals topped the list with 450, followed by 261 Vietnamese, 159 Americans, 33 British, and 24 Israelis, while the remainder consists of other nationalities.
Of the total number, 676 were excluded for not having the means to support their stay in the country and whose purposes of stay were doubtful, while 501 were deemed as improperly documented.
Meanwhile, 69 were excluded for being blacklisted while the others were denied entry for several other reasons.
Last year's figure was lower than the over 3,000 foreign nationals who were intercepted in 2020.
Capulong said the decline was expected considering the travel bans imposed the whole year of 2021, which in turn resulted in the lower number of arriving passengers.
Meanwhile, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente vowed to ensure that they will continue to strictly guard the country’s borders against undesirable aliens.
“Despite the woes of the pandemic, our officers in the frontlines shall continue to ensure that only those eligible foreigners are allowed entry in the country,” Morente said. (PNA)
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