BI barred 133 rude aliens from entering PHL in 2018 —official

The Bureau of Immigration Commissioner said Sunday that it has blocked the entry of 133 foreigners to country in 2018 for being "rude and disrespectful" to BI officers.

In a report to Commissioner Jaime Morente, BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina said the number of aliens who were turned back last year for being rude was slightly higher than the 129 in 2017.

Medina advised visiting foreigners to refrain from being discourteous, avoid using foul and indecent language when talking to immigration officers whom they encounter in the country's ports of entry.

"The entry and stay of foreigners in the country is only a privilege, not a right," Medina reminded visiting aliens, adding that "insulting BI officers is not allowed."

On top of the list of turned-back, discourteous aliens in 2018 were Chinese, 37; Americans, 25; and South Koreans, 23.

"They were also placed in our immigration blacklist of undesirable aliens, thus they are banned from re-entering the country," said Medina.

According to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, the BI has been strictly implementing a policy to disallow the entry of foreigners who exhibit arrogance or make offensive utterances against immigration officers, as they "symbols" of Philippine authority. —LBG, GMA News