Foreigners violating IATF rules may be deported —BI

Foreigners who violate protocols set by the COVID-19 task force may be deported, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

In a statement, BI intelligence chief Fortunato Manahan Jr. said they had received reports that some foreign executives of companies in the Philippines violated IATF protocols in their workplaces.

“We will be conducting an investigation on these reports, and if found with merit, will file immigration cases against aliens involved,” he said, adding criminal charges may also be filed against them by relevant authorities.

For his part, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente reiterated that foreigners who disrespected persons of authority might be considered undesirable aliens.

“Foreign nationals who disrespect symbols of our country and persons of authority are not welcome in the Philippines,” he said.

Last year, the BI banned a Spanish citizen from reentering the Philippines after he figured in an altercation with a police officer in a posh Makati subdivision in April.

The confrontation between Javier Salvador Parra and a Makati policeman that led to an attempted arrest and injuries came after the officer allegedly noticed Parra's househelp watering plants outside his house without a face mask.

The incident was captured on video, which made rounds on social media.—AOL, GMA News