MANILA, Philippines - Immigration officers started to adopt a strict screening of arriving foreigners at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other major ports in the country, it was learned on Tuesday. Officials at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the implementation of stricter measures is part of the new government's intensified drive against human trafficking.
BI acting chief Ronaldo Ledesma said he issued a memorandum order to immigration officers prescribing new guidelines for the conduct of secondary inspection of foreigners to determine whether they should be allowed or denied entry in the Philippines. Ledesma said he issued the order to give immigration officers wider freedom of discretion in allowing or denying entry to a foreign national upon arrival in a Philippine port of entry.
He said the new guidelines specifically spell out the screening process for alien passengers suspected of being public charges, or those whose presence in the Philippines are deemed inimical to national interest. Secondary inspection means a foreigner upon landing at the airport will have to undergo an interview before he/she be allowed to enter the country to ensure that the foreigners has the capability to support his/her stay in the Philippines.
