Saturday, March 17, 2012

News Update Philippines tightens watch on African arrivals

MANILA (AFP) - Philippine airport immigration officials have tightened monitoring of arrivals from Africa after a spate of arrests of drug mules from the continent, a spokesman said on Saturday.

The increased vigilance at all airports was imposed after two Ghanaians were caught on March 13, bringing to eight the number of Africans stopped at Philippine airports in three weeks while trying to smuggle in illegal drugs.

Bureau of Immigration spokesman Maria Antonette Mangrobang told AFP: 'This is not discrimination. They will not be treated poorly. We are just asking our immigration people to be a bit more vigilant.'

If a new arrival cannot fully explain why he or she is coming to the Philippines, immigration personnel can bar them from entering, she said