Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday directed the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to review and update its watchlist to ensure that no foreign fugitive can enter the Philippines.
“Our country is never a sanctuary for fugitives,” Remulla stressed.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) official even warned foreign fugitives who are still in the Philippines that “the government has both the will and the capacity to catch you, you cannot get away with our laws.”
Updating the BI watchlist will be done in coordination with international law enforcement agencies and partner countries after foreign fugitives have been repeatedly caught in the country’s international airports.
“Our goal is to secure borders and prevent individuals who pose a threat to our national security or violate our immigration laws from entering or remaining in the country,” Remulla stressed.
The DOJ chief commended immigration officers at the airports for their alertness in securing the country’s points of entry and exit.
Remulla also urged them “to exert all efforts and exhaust all remedies, and not relent in pursuing these fugitives.”