By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, that Shiela Guo did not go through the formal immigration process, as her passport lacked a departure stamp.
“It appears that this group left through informal means. When we checked, their passports had no markings, which means they did not pass through immigration or areas where immigration officers are present,” said BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval.
Sandoval added that Guo and her companion’s passports did have arrival stamps in Malaysia.
She also noted that their departure from the country was likely “illegal” as it did not follow the proper process.
During a Senate hearing, Guo confirmed that she and her siblings dismissed Mayor Alice and Wesley, used several boats to leave the country.
“We traveled by boat,” she told the Senate subcommittee on justice and human rights.
“Maybe around 7:08 p.m., after dinner, we arrived at midnight. I’m not sure of the exact time,” she added.
(ia/mnm)
MANILA – Immigration authorities have arrested seven Chinese nationals for illegally working at a quarry in Batangas province.
In a news release on Thursday (30 May 2024), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) stated that the operation initially aimed to apprehend Wang Zhenglai, 34, who possessed a working visa but was found to have been petitioned by a fake company.
During the operation, officers from the BI’s Regional Intelligence Operations Unit and the Taysan Municipal Police Station also apprehended six other Chinese nationals working illegally in the same area. The individuals were identified as:
• Wang Shou Min, 67
• Gao Zhengyao, 47
• Wang Yongshang, 31
• Song Ke Wei, 33
• Cai Wenbi, 33
• Huang Hai Min, 39
Of the six, five held 9 working visas but were petitioned by companies based in Quezon City, while one was found working with a tourist visa.
Further investigation revealed that Wang Shou Min, the “big boss” of the mining operation, is the father of Zhenglai.
Commissioner Norman Tansingco emphasized that working visas are both company-specific and location-specific.
He warned that foreign nationals possessing working visas petitioned by fake companies or those working in unauthorized locations could face deportation.
The arrest was based on intelligence reports about illegal mining activities involving Chinese nationals.
(el Amigo/MNM)
MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to expand its detention facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City to improve conditions for foreign detainees awaiting deportation.
At the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday (15 May 2024), BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval announced the construction of two new three-story buildings to replace the existing one-story facility.
“We will expand the area. We are also looking at having a new area, a new facility, but I can’t speak on that yet because there is no finality,” Sandoval said. “It’s in the pipeline already for this year and next year.”
Sandoval emphasized the need for a new facility, noting that nearly 300 detainees are currently housed in a space designed for just over 100 people.
“We want a decent detention center with basic amenities like showers and a kitchen. But the main issue is space. Once we have a larger area, it will greatly improve the habitability,” she explained.
Sandoval also mentioned that the BI has no immediate plans to relocate the detention facility.
“We are considering new areas for our facility. Camp Bagong Diwa is very secure because it is within a military camp, which is a significant factor for security. We must ensure the new location is secure and free from suspicious activities,” she added.
Regarding the budget for the new facility, Sandoval stated there are “no exact figures yet.”
In related news, the BI reported the arrest of five foreigners allegedly involved in illegal abortion activities in Pasay City on May 13.
Vietnamese national Trinh Dinh Sang, also known as ‘Doctor Sang,’ was arrested at a wellness clinic along Diosdado Macapagal Blvd. in Pasay City. The operation, conducted in coordination with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police–Pasay City, followed reports that Sang was involved in illegal procedures, including cosmetic enhancements and abortions.
Also arrested were two other Vietnamese nationals, Nguyen Duy Quynh, 67, and Pham Thi Nhu Hieu, 28, as well as two Chinese men, Xie Jun, 36, and Zhai Jian Gang, 43.
BI intelligence division chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said that operatives posed as clients seeking cosmetic treatments. Upon confirming the presence of illegal aliens, they proceeded with the arrests.
Sang and his accomplices will remain in the BI’s facility in Bicutan, Taguig pending the resolution of their deportation case.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Alert Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel foiled over the weekend an attempt to sneak through the Clark International Airport in Angeles City and Mabalacat, Pampanga three women who posed as singers bound for South Korea and were promised P40,000 monthly salary each.
In a statement on Monday (11 March 2024), the BI said the three victims and another woman attempted to fly to Thailand posing as a group of friends at the Clark International Airport.
But on secondary inspection, the three victims admitted that they were bound for South Korea as singers with a P40,000 monthly salary each.
They claimed that they were accompanied by their recruiter, who insisted that they pose as tourists and hide their destination despite their requests for a legal employment process.
The BI revealed the recruiter planned to escort the victims to South Korea before returning to the Philippines alone.
“There are numerous cases documented wherein victims are promised work as entertainers, but end up in prostitution. Aspiring workers should also protect themselves by ensuring that they only apply work through legal means,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco lamented.
He said the victims have now been referred to the CIA Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) which is set to file charges against their recruiter whose identity was withheld for the meantime.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — With the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has acknowledged the increasing number of foreigners in the country as the government earned almost P16 million from this year’s annual report, compared to last year’s collection of only P11 million.
In a statement, the BI on Sunday (10 March 2024) said some 153,651 foreigners participated in the 2024 Annual Report from January 1 to March 1, 2024.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Norman Tansingco noted that the number of foreigners was 13% higher than the 136,065 registrants in 2023.
He added that it was a “positive sign that more and more aliens are applying for residency in the Philippines,” unlike when only a few aliens visited the country.
“It was learned that the government earned almost P16 million from this year’s annual report, compared to last year’s collection of P11 million,” the BI noted.
The BI said 80% of the aliens were walk-ins or reported in person at BI field, extension, and satellite offices, as well as selected shopping malls in Metro Manila and elsewhere which were venues for this year’s annual report.
It clarified that only those aliens registered with the agency as immigrants and non-immigrants are required to make the annual report, not foreign tourists or temporary visitors.
(el Amigo/MNM)
By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Are the investigators of the International Criminal Court (ICC) really here in the country or not?
This is the nagging question that even the Bureau of Immigration (BI) could not ascertain following the proverbial alarm bell being rang by former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
On Friday, Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson Mico Clavano said the BI could not verify whether personalities from the ICC seeking to investigate the Duterte administration’s “bloody drug war” have already entered the Philippines.
“Upon inquiry doon sa BI, kay Commissioner Norman Tansingco mismo, hindi po nila mabe-verify or ma-confirm kung pumasok nga ba talaga ‘yung mga taga ICC,” Clavano said.
However, he stressed that this is not a denial or a confirmation of the ICC’s presence.
“We’re also not admitting or confirming or acknowledging their presence here in the Philippines. Pwede din naman pong hindi totoo ‘yung balita na ‘yun,” Clavano further said.
(el Amigo/MNM)