BI bars entry of 220 foreigners

3 weeks ago

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PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) has barred entry to 220 foreigners last month due suspicion of criminal activity and violation of various immigration laws.

The BI said Monday that its Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) has denied entry to 150 Vietnamese, 30 Chinese, and 14 Indonesians, many of whom work for illegal online gaming hubs.

BI Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco said they base their arrests on “meticulous scrutiny of travel patterns and activities of individuals.”

“We leverage available data on past arrests and interceptions to identify individuals exhibiting similar travel behaviors,” he said.

Last month, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) raided a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Bamban, Tarlac, rescuing about 900 individuals.

“We are being talked about outside [the country] because of these illegal scammers. The law enforcement in the Philippines is more serious in tracking down POGOs,” PAOCC Undersecretary and Executive Director Gilbert D. Cruz said in Filipino. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana