BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco ordered frontline personnel to tighten screening of foreigners from Cambodia and Vietnam.
Tansingco, who conducted 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 on kidnappings, and extortion activities from syndicates hailing from the said countries.
Said kidnappings were subject of an inquiry by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs last week.
“This is how immigration works,” said Tansingco. “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 added.
He shared that the BI’s endeavor to implement the advance passenger information system would allow the agency to better look at the trends and implement measures for border security.
