Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco has ordered BI personnel detailed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and all international airports in the country to tighten their screening of foreigners from Cambodia and Vietnam.
Tansingco, who conducted on Tuesday ocular inspections at the BI’s frontline operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, instructed immigration officers to immediately refer for secondary inspection foreign nationals who have doubtful purpose of travel to the country.
The move follows reports from local law enforcement agencies of an uptick in kidnapping and extortion activities by syndicates coming from the two countries.
The Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs has launched an inquiry into the reported spate of abductions attributed to foreigners linked to the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
“This is how immigration works,” Tansingco said, adding that “we look at arrival trends and look for patterns. Our partnership with other law enforcement agencies allows us to see whether there is a need to tighten measures on certain types of travelers.”
He said the BI’s endeavor to implement the advanced passenger information system would allow the agency to better look at the trends and implement measures for border security.
Meanwhile, the BI expressed concern over the overcrowding of foreign detainees at the BI jail in Bicutan, Taguig.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the bureau’s Bicutan Detention Center, which has a capacity of 300 detainees, now holds more than 200 arrested foreigners.
“The detention facility is really a challenge because, if I am not mistaken, it only has a capacity of 300,” she said in a radio interview.